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FESTIVALS AND EVENTS Bahamians love a good party! Pinch yourself if you can join a “party in the backyard,” as it’s called — an open-air bash where local musicians play rake and scrape and

calypso, deejays spin Caribbean beats, food stalls dish Bahamian comfort food, and travelers and locals alike gather to drink, dance and “lime” (have a good, relaxing time). The calendar is

filled with festivals, regattas and cultural events that are basically large-scale parties in the backyard. Highlights include Junkanoo, which takes place on several islands; New

Providence’s Emancipation Day Festival, which commemorates the 1834 emancipation of enslaved Africans in Britain’s colonies; the Eleuthera Pineapple Festival; the Cat Island Rake and Scrape

Festival; the All Andros Crab Fest; and Nassau’s Tru Tru Bahamian Festival, a celebration of all things Bahamian. DINING OUT For a small country, the Bahamas has a lively culinary scene —

from traditional dishes like “steam fish with peas ’n’ rice” sold at casual beach shacks to sophisticated international fare offered at five-star resorts. Bahamian cuisine is anchored by

ocean-fresh seafood, which is always on the menu, typically snapper, grouper, lobster and the reigning star, conch (pronounced “konk”). Synonymous with Bahamian comfort food, this marine

mollusk is eaten steamed, grilled, “scorched” (chopped into bite-size pieces), “cracked” or frittered (battered and deep-fried), raw in a ceviche salad, swimming in a tomato-based chowder

and even as a burger. Playing second fiddle is the Caribbean, or spiny, lobster, not to be confused with the Maine lobster. Unlike that cold-water cousin, it doesn’t have large edible claws

or meat as soft and sweet. Still, at the start of lobster season, Aug. 1, many restaurants create special menus. National specialties also include pan-cooked johnnycake, a beloved Bahamian

shortbread; souse, a meat-based stew; Bahamian stew fish, partially pan-fried catch of the day smothered in spicy red sauce; and, for dessert, guava duff, a spongy guava jam-spiraled pastry

drizzled with butter rum sauce. Speaking of rum, the national drink shows up in such classic cocktails as Goombay Smash (with pineapple juice and coconut water) and the fruity Bahama Mama,

while classic Sky Juice is made with gin, coconut water and condensed milk, of all things. Apart from the Out Islands, where Bahamian soul food is a mainstay, you can try it at such

non-touristy Nassau eateries as Nesbit’s or Bahama Grill. Saturday brunch is a treat at Le Petit Gourmet Cafe. One of the most popular restaurants in town is the Italian Cafe Matisse, with

its charming garden patio. Overlooking the harbor in downtown, Lukka Kairi serves creative Bahamian dishes tapas style, such as cracked conch sliders and lobster mac and cheese. Wild Thyme

offers Bahamian fine dining in a recently renovated historic Bahamian home. WAYS TO SAVE: Dine at the neighborhood takeouts where locals eat. Alternatively, cook what you catch, especially

in the Out Islands. When you go fishing, ask one of the dockhands to clean and filet the fish for you. Just pay them a tip. Then ask your restaurant to cook it up. It doesn’t get fresher

than that! FISH FRY Want to go really local? Every island in the Bahamas has a traditional fish fry — a laid-back social event where you can eat authentic Bahamian food, drink rum, listen to

Caribbean music and meet locals. Carrying on a pre-Columbian tradition of grilling fresh seafood over an open fire, seaside stalls and pop-up restaurants have traded in their firepits for

gas stoves and outdoor coal grills. The food is seasoned with the hot peppers and spices of the African diaspora, with lime essential for fish. It’s always accompanied by starchy sides such

as pigeon peas and rice, Bahamian baked macaroni, fried plantains, potato salad and coleslaw. Between the portion sizes and the carb overload, this is stick-to-your-bones filling. Bring

cash. Nassau’s largest fish fry is at Arawak Cay. Its 30-plus food stalls and eateries are active every night, including classics like Goldie’s Conch House and Twin Brothers,

Bahamian-Haitian fusion Oh Andros, and the modern standout, Frankie Gone Bananas. A few Out Island notables include the Friday night Fish Fry at Anchor Bay in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera,

and the weekend Regatta Beach Fish Fry in New Bight, Cat Island — perfect for sunset watching and mingling with locals.