Festivals & Culture

A Cultural festival highlighting the heritage of Freetown, the first place where slaves were freed in 1834. The main event, the Fire Hearth Cooking Competition, colloquially referred to as “fire half”, is one that is historically etched into the culture of the Freetown community, highlighting the tradition of using fire control to cook meals for their families. The day long festival will feature traditional games and competitions like pineapple eating, washboard and tin tub races.

It will be held on Gold Rock Creek East (site of Pirates of the Caribbean film set).

The Music, Model and Talent Showcase of the Islands (Island MMTS) is an exclusive event where international agents and industry executives journey to The Bahamas to scout entertainment, acting and modeling talent from the Caribbean region.

Island MMTS brings together top industry professionals from across the globe, whose business is to identify and develop future stars!

This very popular Christmas Festival takes place every year on the first Saturday in December, kicking off the holiday season in The Abacos and bringing together family and friends from near and far. Activities at the festival include early Christmas shopping at the Arts & Crafts Bazaar, a Food Court filled with Bahamian dishes, performances from Choirs, Quartets, Soloists, Marching and Calypso Bands, a Junkanoo Parade, a Dog Show and other festive activities.

Professional and non-professional swimmers of all ages are invited to compete in this event. The race course is located in the waterway of Marsh Harbour near Albury's Ferry and is 5K in length. Persons can also sign up to compete in the paddle board and kayak challenge. The post race celebration will include great music, food, drinks and awards.

The Bahamas will celebrate 44 years as an independent country. Events are planned across The Abacos in commemoration of this significant event in the life of our nation.

Year after year the quaint Sandy Point settlement brings their community together to host their annual homecoming that takes place over a three-day period, drawing many local and domestic visitors to their side of the island. The event brings about the true island cultural feel, featuring great Bahamian foods and music and lots of exciting and interactive activities.

The entire community gathers at the Sir Milo Butler Park to celebrate the New Year. There will be a variety of Bahamian food and drink for sale, plus dancing to Junkanoo and DJ music.

The local group, "Rum Cay Wildfire," still makes their costumes the old fashion way with crepe paper. On Boxing Day morning, they parade through the streets, stopping at each home and picking up revelers along the way. Crab your cowbells, beat the drums, join in and dance to the sweet sounds of Junkanoo.

This festival brings together locals, plus descendants and residents from Nassau and neighboring islands to celebrate Rum Cay's heritage. It will feature stalls offering authentically Bahamian crafts, food and drink for sale. There will also be games like Dominoes and Beach Volleyball, plus live entertainment.

This annual celebration commences with a church service at 6:00 a.m. Following that, the community gathers for meals throughout the day at Sir Milo Butler Park, feathering local delicacies and Bahamian favorites. There is also music for dancing, and the festivities end with fireworks in the evening.