My First Encounter

The guide motioned for me to enter the building’s backroom on Old Airport Road in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. I slowly opened the door. It was dark. I felt like I was falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. A peculiar, fantasy world of carnival costumes and brightly painted walls accented with flashing color lights greeted me on the other side. That was my first encounter with Junkanoo. I have been a lover ever since. But, what is it?

What is Junkanoo?

Junkanoo is a celebration of freedom. It has African roots in slavery. Englishmen who migrated to the Caribbean brought their slaves with them. British policy provided the slaves three days off around the Christmas holiday. This brief time off was cause for jubilation.

Describe Junkanoo

In the Turks and Caicos, vivid, sequenced costume designs and rudimentary instruments are made entirely from junk collected around the island. Bottle caps, buckets, feathers, newspapers, tin cans, an  tools breathe new life as extravagantly detailed garments, jewelry, and instruments. As a result, anything is a possible fashion component.

Junkanoo Music

The Junkanoo sound is an upbeat and “get on your feet” kind of music. It is loud, repetitive, and full of energy. The raspy, metal, scraping sound of raking the teeth of a bent saw results in a pulsating, percussion beat. Scratching a board and thumping a goatskin drum adds to the rhythm. Even more important, Junkanoo emits a feeling that quickly transmits from one person to another.

Where is Junkanoo Found Today?

Primarily found in Nassau, Bahamas, Junkanoo is deeply ingrained in the culture. Live Junkanoo festivities have developed into grand street parades held on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. During this multi-day celebration, music, and dancing fill the streets.

Explore Junkanoo’s history at the Educulture Junkanoo Museum in downtown Nassau.

Junkanoo in the Turks & Caicos

Nassau is not the only place to experience Junkanoo. Junkanoo is also being cultivated on Providenciales, the main island of the Turks & Caicos Island (TCI) chain. Kitchener Penn, a Bahamian himself, organized the first Junkanoo festival in TCI in the 1980s. He is the visionary behind the TCI Junkanoo Museum which he opened in 2016.

Docents at the TCI Junkanoo Museum eagerly explain the assembly of wild getups, often donning costumes themselves.

Also, they joyfully explain instrument construction and demonstrate music creation. For example, a tin bucket produces a different sound than a plastic bucket when used for a drum base.

Best of all, the guides encourage patrons to dress up and join in. Music and dancing take over as a party atmosphere erupts in the back room of the museum. Penn aims to teach local children the history and culture of Junkanoo and the value of recycling and have fun at the same time.

Kitchener Penn’s We Funk Junkanoo Band

Penn is also the director of the We Funk Junkanoo Band providing local employment. The band, dressed in full costume attire, often plays live at the weekly fish fry. Bight Park hosts the fish fry, which permeates the air every Thursday evening. The fish fry becomes one big beach party as a slew of locals, tourists, and vendors infiltrate the sands. There is lots of music and dancing with loads of fun for all.

Additionally, Kitchener and his bandmates routinely entertain guests at Sandals Beaches Turks & Caicos.