The Junkanoo Corporation New Providence (JCNP) has confirmed that its member groups — including the country’s largest and most iconic Junkanoo organisations — will not participate in this year’s government-run Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades.

In a statement released Friday, the JCNP said it will instead host two independent, community-driven Junkanoo experiences on Bay Street this December and January, emphasizing that the events will not conflict with the government’s festivities.

The move follows months of tension between Junkanoo leaders and the Davis administration over the proposed Junkanoo Bill and the government’s decision to hand management of the parades to a new Parade Management Committee. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s decision to remove the JCNP midway through the 2025 season “disrupted months of planning and sponsorship development,” the group said.

The Tribune exclusively reported today that major A groups — including the Saxons Superstars, Roots, One Family, and the Valley Boys — had voted to withdraw from the national parades, a development that threatens to derail the nation’s biggest cultural celebration.

In its statement, the JCNP confirmed that its upcoming independent events will feature performances from top groups such as the Saxons Superstars, Roots, One Family, the Original Valley Boys, the Original Congoes, the Redland Soldiers, the Mighty Eagles, and 12 D Division individual participants.

JCNP representatives said a “Combined Group Junkanoo Conclave” will be held in the coming days to finalize details and map out “a new chapter built on unity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to preserving and promoting the authentic spirit of Junkanoo.”

“This is not the end of our story,” the statement read. “It is the rebirth of a movement.”