After days of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades it has been announced that the parades will take place as scheduled.

The announcement was made by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Hon. Mario Bowleg who appeared at a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday.  He said, “the 2024 Boxing Day and the 2025 New Year’s Day parades will proceed.”

Bowleg also clarified the participation of the faction of the Valley Boys led by Trevor Davis, Valley Boys:  The Way Forward saying the group “is recognized as a participant only and not a group for competition.”

Earlier this week the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) threatened to cancel the upcoming parades.  This came after the culture ministry released a statement saying “while the legal dispute between the parties has not yet been adjudicated, the government will remain impartial on the matter, recognizing both “The Way Forward” and “The World Famous” as registered groups eligible to participate in the Boxing Day 2024 and New Year’s Day 2025 parades in the A Category.”

JCNP Chairman, Dion Miller accused the Prime Minister of political interference.  Bowleg said, “Prime Minister did his great and his best to remain far away from this situation as possible and left it in the hands of the Minister he appointed, which was myself.”

According to the JCNP Chairman, he, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture held private conversations over the weekend.  He said, “I can assure the Bahamian public that all is well and anything that would have been said was not for political reasons.”

On the current dispute within the Valley Boys Miller said, “it taught us that there’s some things that we need to clean up in regards to how we operate to put some things in fine print which the Minister has indicated to me that he wants to get started with as soon as possible.”

Neither faction of the Valley Boys, Valley Boys: The Way Forward or World Famous Valley Boys, has received any seed funding from the government this year.  According to Minister Bowleg it will remain this way as long as the group’s dispute is before the courts.

The Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade will begin at 9pm on December 25th.