Today, Junkanoo has evolved to a more organized parade with intricate costumes, themed music and prizes. Traditional drums are still made of goat skins, lightweight and strapped to the front of the player; in Shango and Orisha pallet, drummers all sit in a circle, bow to the mother drum and say a silent prayer.

The end drums begin to play, while the central drum, the mother drum, answers and picks up the rhythm. Beside the mother drums are the cutters. As the drummers, sit cross-legged with their drums held between their knees, cutters answer the mother drum in a hierarchy of drum sounds. Weddings are celebrated weeks before the official ceremony. Funerals are commemorated by parties long after loved ones are gone. The laid-back attitude of Bahamians is a healthy byproduct of freedom and the good life.