Why does Friday, November 20, matter for a fair that opens to the public on Saturday? It is the members-only evening of Christmas Jollification at The Retreat Garden, and Bahamas National Trust members who want to be entered in this year's renewal prize draw have to renew before that date.
For households around The Balmoral, that date matters more than the fair weekend that follows it. The membership that gets you into Members' Night also gets you into New Providence's national parks for a year. For a family, it costs about the same as a single outing at the public rate.
The renewal cutoff runs into Members' Night
BNT's October 2026 Trust Notes set Christmas Jollification for November 21 and 22, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, at The Retreat Garden. The same notice lists Members' Night for November 20, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. In the same newsletter, BNT tells members whose membership is due to renew before November 20 for a chance at one of three prizes, including an all-inclusive getaway to Andros.
Here is the calendar from the renewal window through the fair and beyond:
- September 4: BNT's renewal prize window opened.
- Before Friday, November 20: renew to be entered in the prize draw.
- Friday, November 20: Members' Night runs 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Retreat Garden.
- Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22: the public fair runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days.
- Tuesday, December 1: Giving Tuesday is on BNT's calendar.
The 9 p.m. close is new. When BNT marked Jollification's 30th year in 2023, the public days ran 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The extra hour means a family can come after an afternoon at Goodman's Bay and still have the evening at the fair.
Members' Night is more than an early look. In 2024, according to CBC Bahamas, members at the Friday night got early access to the sponsors' lounges and exclusive offerings.
Renewals are taking longer this season
BNT's membership page warns that communications and membership-package processing are delayed because of IT changes. Members get a digital card when they sign up or renew, and a membership is valid for one year from the date of purchase. With those delays, renewing well before the prize-draw cutoff leaves room before Members' Night.
One family outing costs about the same as a year's membership
BNT's published park fees are $15 for adults aged 15 to 59, $8 for children aged 6 to 14 and $10 for seniors 60 and over, per park, per day. A New Providence multi-park day pass, covering The Retreat Garden, Primeval Forest National Park and Bonefish Pond National Park, costs $51 for an adult. The page states that access stays free for BNT members.
Now compare those fees with membership prices. An Ordinary Family membership is $50 and covers two adults at the same address and up to two children under 12. An Ordinary Single is $30, a Senior Citizen membership for those 60 and over is $20, and a Student membership for ages 13 to 25 is $15.
| Household | One park, one day, public rate | Multi-park day pass, public rate | BNT membership for a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two adults, two children aged 6 to 11 | $46 | $156.40 | $50 Ordinary Family |
| One adult, 15 to 59 | $15 | $51 | $30 Ordinary Single |
| One senior, 60+ | $10 | $34 | $20 Senior Citizen |
The family row is the one to look at. At the public rate, one Saturday at a single park costs that family $46. The membership costs $4 more and covers every BNT-managed park for the year, along with Members' Night. Even BNT's most expensive non-member option, the New Providence annual multi-park pass, is $360 for one adult.
The card also brings discounts. BNT's Rewardship program gives members discounts at participating Bahamian businesses. The October newsletter added two Nassau-relevant partners: 10% off at PCL Imports and 10% off services from Roadside Response. In September, BNT listed a complimentary gift at Haus of Assembly on a $100 spend and 10% off monthly memberships at Spin Drip Studios.
Where the card takes you after the fair
The value of the membership is in the parks you can visit for the rest of the year. Each of the three New Providence parks offers something different, and each keeps its own schedule:
- The Retreat Garden. An 11-acre garden of rare and exotic palms, cycads, native hardwoods and flowering trees, with water features and walking routes, and a good spot for birding. Its regular hours are weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., so Jollification weekend is a rare chance to see the garden on a Saturday evening.
- Primeval Forest National Park. This is the BNT park in southwestern New Providence. Boardwalks, steps and bridges lead past limestone sinkholes up to 50 feet long and 30 feet wide, some of them 30 feet deep. It is open Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Bonefish Pond National Park. On the island's southern shore, a 600-foot boardwalk runs through the mangroves. Visitors can watch birds, look for bonefish, kayak at high tide and snorkel in the wetland. It is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Bonefish Pond has just been cleaned up. On International Coastal Cleanup Day, 30 volunteers from Nassau Cruise Port and Grupo Anderson removed about 2,100 pounds of waste from the park, according to BNT's October newsletter. A fourth park, Harrold and Wilson Ponds National Park, a freshwater wetland and birding site in south-central New Providence, is listed as closed on its BNT park page for habitat restoration and repairs.
Check the opening days before planning around the holidays. Bonefish Pond closes for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and Primeval Forest is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For a holiday outing, Primeval Forest on a Wednesday is the safer choice.
What a Jollification weekend at The Retreat looked like in 2023
The 2023 edition, the fair's 30th, is the most fully documented on BNT's own site. That year it brought more than 80 artisans to The Retreat Garden. The Jolly Market and Plant Area sold jams, jellies, cakes, jewelry, chocolates and straw designs, along with orchids, bromeliads, succulents, annuals and native trees. New vendors that year included Exuma Arts Network, IKAN Handmade Designs and Bahama Dawn. The children's area offered nature games, photos with a Bahamian boa and a Junkanoo cut-and-paste table. Food came from The Batter Girls, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Philippine Delights, Lil Laura's, Taste of Jamaica and the Rotary Club of East Nassau. Bristol Wines & Spirits, Jimmy's Wines & Spirits and Caribbean Wines & Spirits poured holiday drinks.
In 2023, BNT said the fair's proceeds would help upgrade park infrastructure, improve the visitor experience and maintain The Retreat itself. The parks you visit with a membership are the same ones the fair has helped pay for.
At Bond Bahamas, we keep track of the dates that shape a season around The Balmoral, from a members' evening at The Retreat Garden to a Wednesday morning at Primeval Forest. If you'd like our neighborhood calendar, along with the shops, clubs and outings close to home, download the Balmoral Guide.
