August Monday in Anguilla
The first Monday in August is a date not to be missed, marking the start of the Anguilla Summer Festival and, more broadly, the carnival season.
August Monday commemorates the end of slavery in the British Caribbean territories. Very early on, this day became a public holiday dedicated to gatherings, festive meals and races organised aboard the very same sloops that were then used for fishing in the island’s waters. The programme for the 2026 event, on Monday 3 August from 5 am to 10 am, features the ‘J’ouvert’, a parade from The Valley to Sandy Ground beach, followed from midday by the famous ‘Sir Emile Gumbs Boat Race’. Until 9 August, competitions, parades and races will follow one after another. Programme: https://carnivalvibez.com/anguilla-summer-festival/
Please note that, due to the large crowds and the increase in shuttle services to the neighbouring island scheduled to depart from Marigot ferry terminal, the Collectivité has issued a territorial decree prohibiting parking and driving on Rue des Sauveteurs en Mer (from the junction of the street and Boulevard Hubert Petit to the junction of the street and Rue Félix Eboué) from 8.00 am on Friday 31 July until 8.00 am on Tuesday 4 August.
