Goombay

Goombay is the goatskin drum at the heart of Bahamian music, and by extension the name of the rhythm and the music built on it, a syncopated pattern that came from West Africa and shaped both Junkanoo and Bahamian popular song. The drum is heated over a fire before playing to tighten the skin, which is why Junkanoo groups build fires along the parade route. Goombay Summer festivals run through June, July and August across the islands, filling streets with drumming, dance, food stalls and rushing, and they exist partly to give visitors something of Junkanoo outside the two nights a year the real thing runs.

What you actually see

• The goatskin drum - heated over a fire to tighten before playing.
• The goombay rhythm - the syncopated pattern under Bahamian music.
• Summer street festivals - through June to August across the islands.
• Rushing - the Junkanoo dance step, performed at the festivals.

When to go

June to August, with events on set evenings in Nassau and Freeport and irregular ones on the family islands. Dates are published locally rather than well in advance. The real Junkanoo parades are on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Honest expectations

Goombay Summer events are staged partly for visitors and are a considerably smaller thing than Junkanoo itself, which happens twice a year in the small hours of Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Programming has been inconsistent and some years the events barely run. Do not plan a trip around them without confirming they are happening.

Nearby

Nassau and Freeport hold the main summer events; Junkanoo is the winter equivalent.