The holiday weekend from June 5th through 7th, celebrating Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day, saw two homecoming festivals staged across the island, with the Pineapple Festival in Gregory Town, and the Conch Fest in Deep Creek at the southern end of Eleuthera. The weekend events, enjoyed by locals and visitors, boasted headlining Bahamian performers, and lineups of various activities.
In Gregory Town, the Ministry of Tourism hosted its signature 37th Annual Eleuthera Pineapple Festival during the course of two days – Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th, at the ‘Festival Park’ site.
Festival Park, this year sported four main areas in the grassed and enclosed site space, featuring generously expanded, large tented spots, affording patrons many more comfortably tabled seating areas, covering a wider area of the festival site – strategically placed, with a clear view of the entertainment stage, and all other surrounding areas, to comfortably enjoy food and drinks while taking in the Fest’s ongoing evening activities and on-stage entertainment.
There was also the ‘kid’s world’ area, where children’s games, and the like were placed together for children and families to enjoy throughout the weekend.
Food and drinks vendors, including those selling pineapple inspired dishes could be found in another section, with local cuisine and specialty drinks on sale. A culinary competition, bush tea tasting and pineapple jam making by Bekera Taylor of Taylor Made Farm were also featured family-friendly activities on Friday and Saturday, during the afternoons on site. Liquors and other spirits were available altogether in another area of the park. Near the Festival entrance, local vendors showcasing native crafts and cottage lines, could also be found for an authentic Bahamian shopping experience.
A professional stage and lighting set up was the focal point for this year’s live entertainment, with house band – Shad Collie & The VIP’s, as well as the New Vision band, along with Bahamian performing artists, including headliners like, Johnny Cake, Blaudy, and KB on Friday evening – and performances by Mama D, Karrington McKenzie, L-Polly, and D-Mac on Saturday night. Crowds also enjoyed fire dancing and a junkanoo grand finale.
Commenting on the signature festival, key organizer, Mrs. Glenda Johnson-Ingraham with the Ministry of Tourism expressed her excitement of the Fest being a ‘hit’. “We had quite a number of people pass through, and this year we are celebrating our 37th Annual Pineapple Festival. It’s now Saturday night, and the people are rolling in, so we are also expecting a great turnout for tonight.”
Mrs. Ingraham added that there was also good visitor engagement during the weekend, with those attending taking part in activities like the signature pineapple-eating contest, and taking in the popular artist contest, now in its second year – featuring local artists, like Jerreth Albury. Artisan vendors were well-represented, said Glenda, with local arts, crafts, soaps, jewelry, and more on display. A diverse array of cuisines – weaving in the pineapple as an ingredient, were available, she said, with an array of food vendors, as well as new features – including Jamaican cuisine, Daddy Joe’s specials, as well as Pizza Hut for the first time.
Looking toward 2027, Mrs. Ingraham said that the Ministry of Tourism would continue to aim for the festival to be “bigger and better”, with plans to promote the event earlier to both domestic and international visitors underway.
In Deep Creek, where they celebrated the ‘Conch Fest’ over the holiday weekend, many vendors were lined-up, offering traditional fare, with variations of conch-inspired dishes included. Cool specialty drinks, like daiquiris and smoothies were also on offer to counter the already warm temperatures of early summer. A large children-friendly play area was also a feature at the Deep Creek Conch Fest site with huge bouncing castle, trampolines, slides, and structured play areas.
On the Friday evening in Deep Creek, local DJ’s were on stage, cranking out popular hits, to the audience flanking the liquors and spirits stall, and people spread across the site, in front of vendor stalls, buying food and drinks, and playing games – like hoopla, as they enjoyed the familiar lyrics.
Vice president of the Deep Creek Conch Festival organizing committee, John Pinder, surrounded by his committee member peers, as they manned the liquors and spirits booth at the Conch Fest, described the weekend as progressing well. The festival, he said, had a late start as vendor stalls were constructed from the ground up, in less than a week. Despite the late start, Pinder said Thursday and Friday evening attendance had been ‘very good’, with Saturday night anticipated to be excellent, with Bahamian entertainer ‘Puzzle’ expected to draw crowds.
