Join the Jonkonnu Parade full of self-made costumes and live music, during Caribbean Heritage Month in June, replicating the parade here in the Bronx and acknowledging the large Afro- Caribbean community here.

The costumes will be made during a series of workshops/classes ranging from elementary to adult/senior levels. 

Where: Rev T. Wendell Foster Park, Jerome Av to River Av bet. E 164 St and McClellan St at Cromwell Ave.

When: May 30th and June 6th 11am-2pm

Put your costumes on for The Jonkonnu Parade in Bronx Park June 13th and at BRAC June 14th - time TBA.

What is Jonkonnu?

Jonkonnu is the national cultural festival of The Bahamas. Dating back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was brought to The Bahamas by enslaved Africans who used their three-day holiday to recreate festivals from home. An outlet for creative expression, today Jonkonnu is mainly celebrated through parades that retain many African elements and are a grand spectacle of indigenous music, performances, storytelling and craftsmanship. Jonkonnu is a celebration of unity, bringing together thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds in the creation of towering, colourful costumes with cardboard and crepe paper. The costumes are prepared in ‘shacks’, where the practitioners display their craft and transmit their knowledge to younger generations. The knowledge and skills related to the performance and the creation of costumes are also transmitted within families. The entire community plays a part in preparing youth for their rites of passage into Jonkonnu. Jonkonnu is incorporated into every major national event as a celebration, as entertainment, and as a traditional cultural expression. It fosters a sense of community pride, identity, companionship, spirituality and unity. Jonkonnu is a celebration of creativity that refines the art of making beauty out of junk.