By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

JUNKANOO officials yesterday pledged to eliminate the long interval between group performances that spoiled the last parades, promising a “seamless presentation” for spectators.

Jeff Lloyd, chairman of the Junkanoo Parade Management Committee, said officials are committed to eliminating the 30 to 60 minute gaps that marred last year’s Boxing Day Parade and to a lesser extent, this year’s New Year’s Day parade.

And, lamenting what he said was “a misfortune in how the parade extended itself throughout the entertaining hours,” Mr Lloyd also promised a more “punctual execution” of both parades.

Mr Lloyd made his comments during a press conference at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture yesterday afternoon.

His comments came after Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Danny Johnson reportedly met with the Junkanoo community to express the government’s “deep concern” with the lack of organisation that previously plagued both parades.

While the New Year’s Day Parade did not suffer significant delay, there was nearly an half-hour delay at the onset. However, the most apparent problem, as noted by Mr Christie at the time, was the gap in between dancers and the actual band of some groups, at times making it seem like the dancers were performing without music.

“That will be corrected this year,” Mr Lloyd said yesterday. “It will be a seamless presentation of the acts by the various groups, such that the 30 and 45 and 60 minute gaps will be eliminated. And those rules will be strictly for the benefit of our public, as well as the participants of Junkanoo, those rules will be strictly enforced.”

According to Mr Lloyd, the Boxing Day Parade will start “punctually” at 10pm on December 25. The New Year’s Day parade will start on January 1, 2016 at 2am, he said.

“So we’re looking forward to an opportunity to present a quality, professional experience for our patrons and for the general Bahamian public and again to remind you that the rules will be strictly enforced, and that the parade will be executed punctually,” he said.

Police Chief Superintendent Theophilus Cunningham, present at yesterday’s press conference, said the Royal Bahamas Police Force is committed to preventing crime and disorder.

The parade will be chaperoned by Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Leon Bethel, he said.

“We intend to strategically post a number of officers to the various entry and exit points,” Chief Supt Cunningham said. “Their job is to ensure that no suspicious persons enter the parade being armed with knives, firearms and illegal contraband. In addition, we will have a number of roaming teams that will be patrolling the exterior of the barricade. Their job (will be) to arrest and take into custody any persons found with any illegal substances, firearms and illegal contraband, and to stop and search all suspected persons.”

Dr Johnson gave his word that the government, in tandem with the Junkanoo community, will do better at improving the production and quality of both parades.

He said the government is in talks with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) about erecting large screens along the performance route, as well as the strategic placement of sound systems to enhance the overall quality of the events.

“We’re going to improve the arena, improve the organisation of it, improve the policing, improve the presentation, and improve the production,” he said. “We’ll let the artists do their thing, but we’ll give them a better platform to do it on.”

According to officials, the road from George Street to East Street will be closed from 12 noon on Christmas Day. The roads will close at midnight on New Year’s Eve in preparation for the New Year’s Day parade.

According to Silbert Ferguson, chairman of the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP), tickets for Rawson Square are on sale for $48.38; Scotia Bank (Parliament Street to Charlotte Street) tickets for $37.63, and John Bull (Charlotte Street to Frederick Street) tickets for $16.13.