Junkanoo, a Bahamian national festival, will be the centerpiece at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, the Disney Cruise Line private destination opening in the Bahamas in June.
The celebration's brilliant colors, costumes, assortment of sounds like cowbells and drums, and its culture will be woven throughout the destination's experience, Disney's creative team said.
"Junkanoo needs to be experienced firsthand. You're talking about that rhythm, the click of the cowbells, the goat skin drum, that really is a vibrancy that you have in your spirit when you're there in person," said Kassandra Rose, a Disney Walt Imagineer.
Lookout Cay, located on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera, (pronounced "key") will be the second private destination for Disney Cruise Line. Castaway Cay, a standalone island, opened in 1998.
Whereas Castaway Cay tells the story of a fictional deserted island, Lookout Cay will tell the stories of a people and culture with the help of familiar Disney characters, executives said during a virtual media event Thursday.
"At the very core, we at Disney are storytellers. The Bahamian people that we've talked to, they are storytellers as well," said Denise Case, director of entertainment creative for Disney Live Entertainment. "To learn their story and to be able to bring their story to everyone who visits Lookout Cay, I think that's what's going to make this experience just so special."
The Disney team has worked with the National Junkanoo Committee for more than a year while developing the destination. Stories will be told through parades across the islands, architecture and artwork.
The Goombay Cultural Center pavilion will introduce guests to the history, music and costumes of Junkanoo. Guests will also have an opportunity to make their own Junkanooo headpieces to wear to Rush, the Junkanoo celebration that will parade across the island. A Junkanoo group will perform for guests and meet up with traditional Disney characters donned in their costumes.
Structurally, the designs of buildings for big gatherings are inspired by local shells with hand-drawn patterns, said Rose. Underneath the roofline will be hand-painted conches and palms as expressions of local Bahamian art. Smaller buildings will be inspired by the colors of Junkanoo. Other spaces, like the cabanas, will feature murals of local flora and fauna.
Lookout Cay will have activities, including a dance party, Bahamian games and original music, such as a Rescue Rangers song mixed with Bahamian beats. Other games will include a pineapple ring toss, a nod to the production of pineapples in the Bahamas, and hula hoops.
The destination will also have nature trails. An app will have information about the plants and animals at Lookout Cay.