Gregory Town’s Pineapple Festival turns 26 – Begins June 5th.

(Eleuthera, Bahamas) – After 25 years of peaks and valleys, parties, pageants, food, drink and music, Gregory Town’s Pineapple Festival turns 26 this year with opening church services and prayers June 5.

Of course it won’t be until Friday and Saturday nights when the festival’s waterfront locale swells to capacity and the disc jockey turns it up to 11. Acclaimed Bahamian singer/songwriter ‘KB’ headlines Friday’s musical lineup and Natural Empress of 100 JAMZ will be spinning tunes all weekend, helping festival goers free their minds.

KB, whose slew of hits includes ‘Bush Mechanic’ and ‘She Fat’, was last seen climbing the ice machine and engaging the Pineapple Festival crowd just a few years ago. This modern-day legend is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Natural Empress also has a musical background and has toured with Kymani Marley and Buju Banton according to the 100JAMZ website. She now hosts a talk show and music show on the radio station.

The festival lineup, which also features high school junkanoo, a fashion show, pineapple-themed contests, a sprint triathlon and other local bands, has scaled back its lineup this year operating on a smaller budget. After a postponement of last year’s festival organizers are committed to making the 2013 festival a success. The sprint triathlon – The Pineappleman – has received strong interest, and the post-race party begins Saturday morning with Eleuthera’s own Island Flava band performing under the festival band shell.

The festival looks to maintain a tradition that began in 1988, becoming the first of its kind in Eleuthera, when Jackie Gibson of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, read about a garlic festival honoring that pungent bulb, and decided to organize something similiar to celebrate the pineapple. The festival has always centered on the pineapple, which are harvested in the summer months, said festival secretary Sean Charlow, with a pineapple-eating contest, baking contest, and peeling contest.

“During the first years of the festival prominent pine farmers were Joseph Darville, Emmanuel Thompson, Edward Thompson and many, many more,” Charlow said.

For more information on the 2013 Pineapple Festival persons may contact Ms. Glenda Johnson at the Harbour Island Ministry of Tourism branch or Sean Charlow at 551 1073. Members of the public can also join the Pineapple Festival group page on Facebook.