Backyard Festival aims for authentic event for Briland
Chicken catching and clothes hanging have moved beyond being forgotten pieces of the Bahamian cultural past to now become centerpieces of the signature event for Harbour Island – the Briland Backyard Festival.
The festival takes place on Harbour Island on Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22. Organizers aim to make it the most authentic Bahamian festival today, with several activities for participants, said June Cartwright, acting manager of the Harbour Island Tourist Office.
“When you come onto Harbour Island, the whole area is going to be set up like a backyard,” she said. “We’re talking about fishing lines, fishing nets and hanging clothes. When you are walking over Bay Street and you look up, you are going to actually have clothes hanging over you.”
The list of activities and competitions for the festival include clothes hanging, goat pepper eating, onion peeling, coconut barking and chicken catching. Harbour Island’s wild chickens are being rounded up and will be kept caged during the festival. On the last night of the festival, however, they will be released and those attending the festival will compete to catch the most chickens.
Martin Lee Grant, a public relations officer for the festival, explained that Harbour Island has a special relationship with wild roosters.
“We have a lot of roosters running around the island,” he said. “We call them our pets. The tourists love them. They appreciate them greatly. We want to highlight the uniqueness of Harbour Island when it comes to vacationing here – the warmth the friendliness, the great hospitality that the persons here share with whomever comes here from all walks of life, regardless of color, creed or religion. We just appreciate everyone who comes to Harbour Island and we like to share with them our rich history, our beautiful nightlife culture and our beautiful pink sand beach.”
Stage performers scheduled to appear at the Briland Backyard Festival include KB, T’rez Hepburn, April Cartwright-Miller, and Harbour Island’s own Afro Band.
Ms. Cartwright pointed out that her office has worked closely with transportation providers to ensure that travel to and from Harbor Island during the weekend of the festival is fast and convenient. Bahamas Ferries has scheduled 8am voyages from Nassau from Thursday to Sunday, returning each day at 3:40. Meanwhile, Bahamasair has at least two daily flights to North Eleuthera, which is just 10 minutes away from Harbour Island, she said.
