In December, Pompey Square in Nassau fills with carols and Christmas lights, and by the end of the month the talk on Bay Street turns to the cowbells, whistles and goatskin drums of Junkanoo, which begins after midnight on Boxing Day. Out on the cays the days are mild and the evenings call for a light layer. December in the Bahamas is a month for holiday festivities in town, crawfish on the plate and island hopping in gentler air.
What is the weather like in the Bahamas in December?
December in Nassau is mild and mostly dry, with warm afternoons, cooler evenings and only a handful of rainy days, while the sea around the islands has cooled from its autumn warmth, a little more on Bimini than elsewhere.
| Month | Nassau average high (°F) | Nassau average low (°F) | Nassau rain days | Sea at Nassau (°F) | Sea at the Exumas (°F) | Sea at Grand Bahama (°F) | Sea at Bimini (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 83.1 | 70.1 | 6.7 | 80.9 | 81.4 | 80.8 | 79.1 |
| December | 80.6 | 67.0 | 5.1 | 78.1 | 78.9 | 78.0 | 75.4 |
| January | 79.4 | 65.1 | 4.3 | 77.0 | 78.3 | 77.1 | 76.3 |
In Nassau, afternoons in the low 80s are comfortable for walking Bay Street, wandering the shops and sitting outside at lunch. Evenings drop into the 60s, which is cool enough that a light sweater feels good at an outdoor Christmas event. Rain comes on only about five days, and December in Nassau gets around two inches in all, so showers tend to be passing rather than trip-defining.
The sea is where the islands differ. Near George Town in the Exumas it stays a touch warmer than off Nassau, and Grand Bahama sits right beside Nassau’s number. Off Alice Town on Bimini the water is the coolest of the four in December, a few degrees below the others. Daylight is short, about ten and a half hours in mid-month, so plan beach time for the middle of the day.
Where to go in the Bahamas in December
The Bahamas is an archipelago of about 700 islands and many more cays, so December depends on which island you choose. Three choices stand out this month: the capital for Christmas and Junkanoo, Grand Bahama for a second Junkanoo setting, and the Exumas for quiet water.
Nassau and New Providence
Nassau is the capital and largest city, on the island of New Providence, and December is when it dresses up. Pompey Square holds Christmas caroling and decorations all month, and a tree lighting there has drawn hundreds of Bahamians and visitors. On Arawak Cay, the Christmas On Da Cay event has opened on weekday afternoons and evenings in past Decembers, with food and local color around the fish fry stalls.
The big draw comes after Christmas. The largest Junkanoo celebration is on Bay Street downtown, and the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades are the biggest in Nassau. Spend December days on the waterfront and in the old town, then come back for the parade. This suits travelers who want holiday atmosphere and a lot to do, and it is less a place for a quiet retreat.
Grand Bahama: Freeport and Lucaya
Grand Bahama has its own Junkanoo and Carnival side. ‘Da Cultural Village’ is an event with day passes and weekend passes, a festival setting that gathers music, food and costume traditions in one place. The sea near Freeport and Lucaya is close to Nassau’s temperature in December, so the coast is pleasant for waterside lunches and strolls.
Port Lucaya is a natural base for evenings out, with a waterfront setting for a meal of fresh crawfish, which is in season. Grand Bahama suits travelers who want a calmer holiday than the capital while still being near a festival atmosphere.
The Exumas
The Exumas are a district of more than 365 islands and cays, with Great Exuma the largest and George Town its main settlement. The sea there is among the warmer readings of the month, which makes December a pleasant time to spend time around the water. This is the place for boat days, cays and slow afternoons rather than parades.
Great Exuma is connected to Little Exuma by a small bridge, so you can see more of the island in a stay. Evenings are cool and quiet. It suits couples and anyone who would rather swap the city’s Christmas events for open water and a long dinner of conch or crawfish.
What to do in the Bahamas in December
Junkanoo on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
Junkanoo is a street parade of colorful costumes, exuberant dance routines and music from whistles, cowbells, horns and goatskin drums. In Nassau it starts after midnight on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, and the largest celebrations are on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Bay Street is the stage, and groups compete in categories with intricate costumes, themed music and official prizes.
Junkanoo is celebrated in Nassau and on many Out Islands, mainly on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, with some islands holding additional summer festivals. The December parades are the ones to plan a trip around. You hear the cowbells well before you see the costumes come around the corner.
Christmas events in Nassau
Pompey Square is the setting for caroling and decorations throughout December, a pleasant stop at dusk when the lights come on. On Arawak Cay, Christmas On Da Cay has been a December event with weekday hours in the late afternoon and evening, and it sits beside the fish fry stalls where locals eat conch and fried fish.
Crawfish season on the plate
Crawfish season runs from August 1 to March 31, so December menus are full of it. On many menus the words crawfish and lobster are used interchangeably. Try the crawfish salad, a mix of onions, sweet peppers, lime juice and diced lobster, served on greens or in a sandwich. At Gone Fishing on Arawak Cay, stew lobster in a rich brown gravy appears on the breakfast menu.
Is the Bahamas busy in December?
December is a lively month in Nassau, where Christmas events and the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades draw both Bahamians and visitors, and the downtown streets are at their liveliest around the parades.
Bay Street is the center of that energy, with crowds gathering for the parade after midnight. Pompey Square and Arawak Cay draw people in the evenings through the month. If you want to be part of the festivities, Nassau is the place, and you should expect company.
The Out Islands have their own, smaller Junkanoo celebrations, and the quieter cays of the Exumas give a different pace, with water and open sky in place of parades. Grand Bahama sits between the two, with its Cultural Village events and a waterfront at Port Lucaya. Choosing the island is the way to choose how busy your December feels.
What to pack for the Bahamas in December
Packing for December in the Bahamas means warm-day clothes with a layer for the evening, since Nassau nights fall into the 60s while afternoons stay in the low 80s. Out on the cays and on the water, the breeze adds a little more chill after sunset.
- Light summer clothes for afternoons in town and by the water.
- A sweater or light jacket for evenings at Christmas events and on boats.
- Swimsuits for the sea, which is cooler than in autumn, especially off Bimini.
- Comfortable shoes for Bay Street and a night on your feet at the Junkanoo parade.
- A light rain layer for the occasional shower.
- Sunscreen and a hat for midday on the beach.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
December comes just after the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama. The purchase and use of marijuana is illegal in the Bahamas and enforced with strict penalties.
Is December a good time to visit the Bahamas?
December is a very good time to visit the Bahamas, especially for travelers drawn to Nassau’s Christmas events and the Junkanoo parades, or to the Exumas for quiet, mild days on the water.
Compared with November, the air is a little cooler and the sea has lost a few degrees, with Nassau’s highs sliding from the low 80s toward the high 70s and a few fewer rainy days. Bimini’s water shows the biggest drop. January is cooler again in the air, with the sea slightly lower at Nassau and Grand Bahama, while Bimini edges back up a little.
What December has that the other two months lack is the festive calendar: carols in Pompey Square, Christmas On Da Cay, and the Junkanoo parade on Boxing Day that begins after midnight on Bay Street, with crawfish in season on every menu.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BF000078073 (Nassau Airport), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BF000078073), checked October 10, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 10, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Junkanoo (https://www.bahamas.com/events/junkanoo), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Junkanoo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkanoo), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Christmas season (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/christmas-season-officially-launched-in-the-bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Junkanoo (https://www.bahamas.com/events/junkanoo), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, crawfish season (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/its-crawfish-season), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of the Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, The Bahamas (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Island FAQ (https://www.bahamas.com/plan-your-trip/island-faq), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, The Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, New Providence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Providence), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Exuma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Abaco Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaco_Islands), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Entry requirements (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Before your arrival (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/before-your-arrival/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Getting Around the Bahamas: Flights, Ferries, Mailboats and Taxis in Nassau
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs