Hooray for Goombay

This weekend Coconut Grove will awaken with the sights, smells, and sounds of the Bahamas for the annual Goombay Festival. For your eyes and ears, there’ll be writhing Junkanoos and musicians adorned in kaleidoscopic costumes. For your belly, hundreds of vendors will be lining the streets, selling Bahamian and spicy...

By Raina McLeod

May 31, 2007

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This weekend Coconut Grove will awaken with the sights, smells, and sounds of the Bahamas for the annual Goombay Festival. For your eyes and ears, there’ll be writhing Junkanoos and musicians adorned in kaleidoscopic costumes. For your belly, hundreds of vendors will be lining the streets, selling Bahamian and spicy Caribbean delicacies left and right. And if you’re the touchy-feely type, you can get a royal handshake from the Goombay Queen herself.

Since the 1970s, Miamians have celebrated the fusion of rich Caribbean culture with a strong African-American community by attending this huge annual street festival. Last year hundreds of thousands swarmed the Grove for this party that turns our very own Grand Avenue into Nassau’s tropical, bustling Bay Street. We swear you’ll feel like you’ve crossed the Atlantic and arrived at the Port of Bahamas once you get a good dose of Goombay. The fest stretches from Douglas Road to McDonald Street and is free and open to the public.
Sat., June 2

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