Bermuda Day

Bermuda Day

Bermuda Day was formerly known as the Empire Day and was earlier held mainly to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria.

But these days, for most Bermudians it marks the beginning of summer in the island.

Bermuda day is a public holiday and is usually held on 24th May.

If the date falls on a weekend, then it is held on the nearest weekday.

So what happens on Bermuda Day?

There are plenty of activities that take place across various parts of the island and thousands of people line up along the streets to watch the events. One of the most important events is the grand colorful parade in Hamilton known as the Annual Heritage Day parade or the Bermuda Day Parade. It is sponsored by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs of Bermuda.

This tradition originally started in Britain in 1902. This day was used for training the youth to become proper citizens of the British Empire. So it became known as Empire Day and later as Commonwealth Day. However, in Bermuda it is known as Bermuda Day.

Bermuda Day - Traditional Marching Band

The parade is represented by Gombey dancers, traditional Bermuda bands, musicians, floats and many other diverse participation. The parade usually starts at 1.30pm from Albuoy’s Point and moves through Front Street, before heading to Bernard Park in Pembroke parish for closing ceremony.

Update: In 2011, the route of the Heritage Day Parade has been changed. It starts from Bernard Park in Pembroke, takes the Cedar Avenue and goes along Front Street, Queen's Street and Church Street in Hamilton City.

The final viewing stand is at City Hall car park where the dance troops, music trucks and other parade participants would pass by.

There is also an invitational cycle race that takes place on Bermuda day. It starts from Somerset and ends in Hamilton.

A 13-mile Annual Half-Marathon is also held on Bermuda day. The starting point is Cambridge Road in Somerset and ends at Bernard Park in Pembroke parish. It starts at 9:30am.

There is also a fitted-dinghy race held on the day in St. George's Harbor.

People turn up at large numbers at all these events during Bermuda day and line up along street sides to cheer the participants. Many reserve their favorite vantage points from the previous nights and use ropes or tapes to carve out their own private space.

Bermuda day is also the first day in summer when many Bermudians go to the waters and take a dip for the first time in the year. So it really marks the beginning of summer. This is also supposed to be the day when men wear Bermuda Shorts first time in the year as official attire.

Check out 2010 Bermuda Day Theme to know how the Bermuda Day Parade was held in 2010.

Seen Bermuda Day celebrations?

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