Arawak Cay vendors should be gearing up for Junkanoo in June, but some of them claimed over the weekend that the upcoming event is not all it could be.
Some vendors at Arawak Cay are already complaining that the upcoming Junkanoo In June Festival would be bad for business.
They claimed that the festival, which showcases Bahamian culture, could end up putting the squeeze on them.
“We don’t make any money on food because they are selling just about the same thing we are selling. All of the people go over there. We make couple of dollars later in the night, but not early in the evening,” said a worker at Captain Bucks, who spoke to The Bahama Journal on Sunday.
“We only make money off of beers and liquor because they don’t sell it. People are not going to come over here if they can get the same thing over there.”
The festival, which typically lasts from 2 pm to 11pm on Saturdays in June, highlights Bahamian entertainers, local food, indigenous arts and crafts and children’s activities. A Junkanoo rush-out caps off the night.
Henry McPhee, an employee at Mr. Pool’s Conch Stall said, “Junkanoo in June isn’t any help to us because everyone stays over there (at Heritage Village). Some of the stalls with air condition have it good; our business isn’t hurt as much.”
Rose Mack, an American visitor who was in town for last year’s Junkanoo in June festival and is anticipating this year’s festival, also believes the festival hurts Arawak Cay vendors.
“This is the Arawak Cay vendors’ livelihood. If an event comes in, the organizers should know that they shouldn’t have all the streets blocked off for access to Arawak Cay,” she said, while eating breakfast at Goldie’s Restaurant, on Sunday.
Equilla LaFleur, manager of that establishment, said parking, which is often a problem at Arawak Cay, gets even worse during Junkanoo in June.
He said it goes from being an inconvenience to a safety issue.
“I have to park way at the back of Arawak Cay where it is dark and there is no security and I have to walk there with money coming out of this building. It’s ridiculous. One night the police even called a tow truck for my car,” he said.
“Where am I supposed to park? The government needs to get together and do something, because the tourists are coming to us. We are not getting any help from the government. It’s a big problem.”
Tourism Minister Obie Wilchombe said on Sunday he was unaware of the Arawak Cay vendors’ concerns, but he said he plans to look into the matter.
“We will immediately address it because the whole idea is not only to promote our culture and for us to celebrate who and what we are and the importance of Junkanoo in our national life, it is also to ensure that our entrepreneurs, the business people who are at Arawak Cay, will benefit even more significantly than they normally do,” he told The Bahama Journal.
“Junkanoo in June attracts thousands of people and it is our objective to ensure that all the vendors who receive temporary licenses and those who are permanent at Arawak Cay, are more successful than they have been. Just like everything else you do, you have to tweak it and assess it to see where we are and to make sure we are always improving.”
By: Tosheena Robinson-Blair, The Bahama Journal
