Emancipation Festival

In the British Virgin Islands, the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of August are all public holidays. Slavery was abolished across the British Empire on August 1, 1834, thanks to the passage of the Emancipation Act. Many Caribbean islands observe a public holiday on August 1st or the first Monday in August to commemorate this momentous occasion, which is inscribed into their culture and history.

In some countries, the celebrations of emancipation have been combined with the festival tradition, resulting in the transfer of the familiar pre-lent festival tropes to the month of August. Additionally, holding festivals at different times throughout the Caribbean makes economic sense because the festivals are not competing with one another for tourist attention at the same time.

Festival goers can expect to be entertained for two weeks, spanning the last week of July and the first week of August, in the British Virgin Islands. The Emancipation Festival (also known as the August Festival or the BVI Festival), which has been running since 1954, is a nationwide celebration of freedom from colonialism and cultural history and has become one of the most famous festivals in the British Virgin Islands. This annual festival of the people's culture and history includes extravaganzas of local and international music, pageants, Food Fairs, j'ouvert (street jamming), parades, gospel celebrations, and folklore presentations among other activities. Keep an eye out for the 'rise and shine tramps,' which are loud parades led by reggae bands in the back of a truck that start at 3 a.m. and last until the sun comes up.

Takes place: August