MORE than 120 people have applied to serve as judges for the 2025 Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades, according to the National Junkanoo Committee.

Officials have foreshadowed different rules for the upcoming parades as they proceed without involvement from the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence, the longtime manager of the parades.

The Parade Management Team (PMT), working in collaboration with the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC), said about 85 of the applicants are based in New Providence, with the rest from the Family Islands who want to support their local parades.

PMT Chairman Douglas Hanna said in a statement that the process to finalise the judging panel is progressing on schedule, with training and orientation sessions already underway. These sessions, he said, have seen strong participation and focus on traditional Junkanoo judging rules, along with a few refinements suggested by parade groups. Those proposed changes will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday with group leaders and representatives from all categories before the final rules are set.

“Once input from the various groups is received, the final tally of judges will meet the traditional complement required for Bay Street,” said Mr Hanna. “We also want to assure the public that the judging pool will consist entirely of individuals with proven experience in judging parades and cultural events. Our goal is to ensure a fair, consistent, and transparent process reflective of the spirit of Junkanoo.”

He said the PMT expects to release the final rules and judging framework as early as next week.

“Fair play, transparency, and accountability will be the hallmarks of this year’s judging,” Mr Hanna said. “The groups have called for it, and we are responding.”

At a press briefing last month, Calvin Greene, deputy chair and grand marshal of the Parade Management Committee, said the new body is now assembling judges and other key personnel for the parades. He said the committee will soon meet with Junkanoo leaders to ratify rules and ensure they align with the committee’s vision. Mr Greene added that all A Groups will be allowed to compete this year and that disqualifications will be replaced with point deductions.