BNT Celebrates Record-Breaking Festival Noël

January 16th, 2025 – Nassau, Bahamas
This past December, The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) celebrated its largest Festival Noël to date, welcoming 600 people to the Rand Nature Centre (RNC) in Grand Bahama for the highly-anticipated Christmas event.
One of three national parks managed by the BNT in Grand Bahama, the RNC grounds transformed into a spectacle of bright lights and festive decor under this year’s theme: “Light Up the Night at Festival Noël.”
Attendees enjoyed a blissful wine tasting experience, featuring a wide selection of beverages from around the world, courtesy of title sponsor Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits. They also had the opportunity to support small businesses, browsing a showcase of unique art and crafts from local artists and vendors.
Festival Noël is Grand Bahama’s signature annual Christmas event, highlighting local talent and offering an evening of premium wine, fine art, tasty food, and exciting entertainment and prizes.
Guests enjoyed the return of event staples, like the Chef Noël and Sweet Noël culinary competition, which allowed patrons to sample and savor culinary delights and vote for their favorite chef; the “Wheel of Joy” and “Antler Raffle” giveaways; and a gallery highlighting work from a special featured artist. Music from Top Tier Band – accompanied by Tony Lowe, Doranell Tiffany, Tyrone Brown, DJ Paradise, and sound engineer Clinton Gilbert – kept the dancefloor full and the evening alive.
This year’s featured artist, Nikita Turnquest Adonis Art, brought the ocean to the event with her exhibition, “The Aquarium of Life.” The immersive showing displayed Turnquest’s captivating and vivid paintings inspired by the ocean and marine life – “a tribute to survival, transformation, and resilience,” according to the artist.
The night held an assortment of prizes – including a tablet provided by Aliv, dinner for two at Stoned Crab Restaurant, and beautiful home decor from Island Bedding.
Proceeds from Festival Noël always support the upkeep and advancement of Grand Bahama’s three national parks: the Rand Nature Centre, the Lucayan National Park (LNP), and Peterson Cay National Park. Last year’s funds enabled the paving of a new driveway at the front entrance to the RNC.
“We deeply appreciate the exceptional support from the people, chefs, artists, artisans, and corporate community of Grand Bahama for this vital fundraiser,” said Jinnel Sturridge, BNT Grand Bahama Membership Officer and Festival Noël Committee Member. “In 2025 we’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Festival Noël, and we’re committed to making the event even more exciting and impactful in raising funds for the national parks on Grand Bahama. We encourage everyone to not only support this event, but to become members of the BNT. Your membership ensures that your national parks thrive and are sustained for future generations.”
The BNT thanks the sponsors of Festival Noël 2024 for their generous support and commitment to making this event happen: Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits; Bahamian Brewery; Grand Bahama Port Authority; ALIV; Ministry of Tourism; Tourism Development Corporation; FOCOL; Bahama Wholesale Agency; Kelly’s Freeport; CG Atlantic Medical; Western Atlantic University School of Medicine; Grand Bahama Power Company; RBC Freeport; Caribbean Bottling; Pure Drinking Water and Ice; Earnst and Young; Sunny Isles; Crown Ice; HG Christie; GB Foods; Lucaya Nursery and Landscaping; and Doctors Hospital Grand Bahama.
Additionally, the BNT thanks these businesses for donating prizes for Festival Noël’s “Wheel of Joy” and “Antler Raffle:” Baha Mar; Stoned Crab Restaurant; Pandora; Island Bedding; Ocean Reef Resort Yacht Club; Delva’s Place AirBNB; Pizza Hut Freeport; Bonefish Tarpon Trust; BahaGala; GB Chiropractor; Paint Fair; Pure Water; ALIV; Kayak Nature Tours; Amoro Port Lucaya; Bodied by Johnny; Bones Bar; Coral Vita; Island Yoghurt; Kayak Nature Tours; Labelle; Paint Fair Ltd; The Fitness Connection; The Shoe Village; OMG Couture Boutique; and Pure Drinking Water and Ice Ltd.
To learn more about the role the BNT plays to manage terrestrial and marine national parks, protect Bahamian species, and inform environmental policy, please visit its website: www.bnt.bs and follow/subscribe to various social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Media Contact: Leah Carr | lcarr@bnt.bs | (242) 429-7902
About the BNT:
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959 to build and manage the national park system of The Bahamas. Possibly the only non-governmental organization in the world charged with such a responsibility, the BNT works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of The Bahamas through science, stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 33 National Parks managed by the BNT with more than 2 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected.