BVI Holidays
Public Holidays
Virgin Islands Holidays: Explained
December 2022 – December 2023
Excerpt
The Virgin Islands celebrates a variety of holidays, some traditional and some particular to the Territory’s culture and history. Learn more about BVI holidays, the dates celebrated and explanations of the ones unique to these islands.
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Sunday, 25 December 2022
Christmas Day
Monday, 26 December 2022
Boxing Day
A public holiday in the UK and many of its Territories, Boxing Day’s roots are said to go back to a time when the rich boxed up gifts to give to the poor, which were then distributed the day after Christmas. Churches are also said to have played a role in the creation of Boxing Day. Throughout the year, many churches collected money for the poor. The funds were stored in a box which was opened on Christmas Day and handed out to the poor the next day.
Tuesday, 27 December 2022
Christmas Day Observed
Because Christmas 2022 falls on a Sunday rather than a work day, an additional Christmas holiday is observed on Tuesday.
Sunday, 1 January 2023
New Year’s Day
Monday, 2 January 2023
New Year’s Day Observed
Monday, 6 March 2023
Hamilton Lavity Stoutt Day
The day honors Hamilton Lavity Stoutt, the first and longest serving Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands, who won five general elections between 1967 and 1991 and served three non-consecutive terms of office from 1967 to 1971, again from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1986 until his death in 1995. He also served as a parliamentarian in the Legislative Council prior to the adoption of the 1967 constitution. The Virgin Islands’ Community College is named after him.
Friday, 7 April 2023
Good Friday
Sunday, 9 April 2023
Easter Sunday
Monday, 10 April 2023
Easter Monday
In the Virgin Islands, as in the UK, the Monday after Easter is a public holiday.
Monday, 29 May 2023
Whit Monday
The holiday marks the end of the Easter Cycle.
Friday, 9 June 2023
The Sovereign’s Birthday
This day is marked with a parade in Road Town featuring firemen, police, boy scout and girl guide troops and other community organizations. Traditionally, a garden party hosted by the Governor and his wife is held at the Governor’s residence.
Monday, 3 July 2023
Virgin Islands Day
Formerly known as Territory Day, Virgin Islands Day reflects a renewed sense of national consciousness and represents an effort to assert the unique identity of Virgin Islanders.
Monday, 7 August – Wednesday, 9 August 2023
The August Emancipation Festival
These three days mark the Virgin Islands’ August Festival which commemorates the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Road Town on Monday, August 1st, 1834. Today the day is celebrated with parades, tramps, beauty pageants, horse races and other traditional activities.
Monday, 16 October 2023
Heroes and Foreparents Day
Heroes and Forefathers Day honors pioneers and outstanding community members in fisheries and agriculture, boat building, health, business, politics, public administration, the arts and religion. The holiday recognizes the men and women who created the Virgin Islands we know today.
Monday, 27 November 2023
The 1949 Great March and Restoration Day
This holiday commemorates the historic demonstration on Sunday, 24th November 1949 led by Theodolph Faulkner, Isaac “Glanny” Fonseca, Carlton deCastro, and over 1,500 Virgin Islanders who marched through the streets of Road Town to the Commissioner’s Office (today known as the Governor’s Office) in protest of issues significantly affecting the quality of the lives of Virgin Islanders. The demonstrators presented the Commissioner with a petition that highlighted their grievances with the political system, which was administered from Antigua at the time. The demonstration served as a catalyst for political development in the Territory, leading to the restoration of the Legislative Council and the evolution of a modern Virgin Islands.
Monday, 25 December 2023
Christmas Day
Tuesday, 26 December 2023
Boxing Day
A public holiday in the UK and many of its Territories, Boxing Day’s roots are said to go back to a time when the rich boxed up gifts to give to the poor, which were then distributed the day after Christmas. Churches are also said to have played a role in the creation of Boxing Day. Throughout the year, many churches collected money for the poor. The funds were stored in a box which was opened on Christmas Day and handed out to the poor the next day.
