Nassau, Bahamas – The Ministry of Tourism has announced that the International Cultural Festival (ICF) will be held on October 22 & 23. The festival, which is in its 16th year, will be held at the Botanical Gardens and will feature food and cultural expressions from over 30 countries. The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 14 at the Bahamas Financial Services Board.
“Once again, we are delighted to announce the dates for the 16th annual event,” said ICF Chairperson, Ms. Janet Johnson. “This year the festival has expanded and will feature several new countries including Panama, Mexico and we’re working with the engineers from Argentina who are currently here for the roadwork’s.”
This year the ICF also welcomes the Bahama Out Island Promotion Board as title sponsor. “We wish to showcase the Bahamas not only to the world but also the residents of The Bahamas so that they can experience all the islands, not just New Providence,” said Mr. Raymond Francis.
Also on board will be the Bank of The Bahamas, which will facilitate all the banking needs of vendors and patrons of the festival. Bank of The Bahamas is the official bank of the festival and will provide ‘festival dollars’ for the event, providing safety, security and fiscal management of the event.
Due to the success of the 2010 festival, the ICF was also able to made presentations to several organisations including a donation of $3,000 to the Zonta Club of Nassau; $4,000 to Rotary and $10,000 to Bahamas National Trust. “We hope that the festival can continue to be a success and so that we can continue to assist others in our community.”
Several charities will also be participating in the festival this year, including the Ranfurly Home, Zonta, Omega Psi Phi and the Rotary Club.
“Organisers are busy trying to reconfigure the layout while trying to, as best they can, keep continental regions in their traditional areas in the gardens,” said Ms. Johnson. She said that this became necessary as a result of the increased participation this year in the festival.
Several representatives from various countries, including South Africa, Greece, Canada, Cuba and Scotland were also present at the press conference and invited the public to patronise the event.
This year’s festival will also feature a float parade, which will be held on Saturday, October 15. The parade will leave Arawak Cay at 2 PM travelling east on West Bay Street, onto Bay Street to Mackey Street, over to Wulff Road onto Poinciana Drive to Nassau Street, north to West Bay and then back to Arawak Cay.
