How to celebrate Bermuda Day—a month-long celebration of the island’s cultural heritage

Bermuda Day, a holiday held on the fourth Friday in May each year in Bermuda, kicks off the island’s start of summer and marks the rise in water and air temperatures, signaling to Bermudians that it’s acceptable to swim in the ocean.

An all-day celebration takes place, not just to signify the warm weather, but to celebrate the island’s cultural heritage.

What Bermuda Day celebrates

After decades of civil unrest and protest, which reached a climax in 1977, a Royal Commission was created to understand the unrest. A decision was made to change a holiday that traced its roots to Queen Victoria’s birthday—and was previously known as Empire Day and then became Commonwealth Day—to Bermuda Day. The first Bermuda Day Heritage Parade was held on May 24, 1979, to celebrate Bermudian culture and promote civic pride.

“What was once a commemoration of the island’s colonial ties and a recognition of the reach of the British Empire has been transformed into a quintessentially Bermudian celebration of our heritage, resilience, unity, and culture,” says Jamari Douglas, vice president of marketing, public relations, and communications for the Bermuda Tourism Authority. “Today, Bermuda Day is embraced island-wide as a celebration of Bermuda’s community of diverse people and cultures that have blended together over centuries to create the island we call home.”

How to celebrate Bermuda Day

Over time, residents realized that one day was not enough time to celebrate the culture of Bermuda’s people, so the entire month of May became Heritage Month.

Almost every day in May, visitors can find events that celebrate Bermuda’s heritage, from jazz performances to art showcases to curated historical tours. “Last year Long Story Short, a local tour company, partnered with Gosling’s, a Bermuda rum and beverage company,” says Douglas, “to host ‘History with a Twist,’ inviting participants on a tour of 18th-century buildings in the Town of St. George where attendees were treated to a signature craft cocktail made with locally sourced ingredients while learning about the history of the site.”

On the fourth Friday of May, the Bermuda Day festivities begin around 8:00 a.m., with the Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race, explains Tim Rogers, a Bermuda resident of 41 years who leads educational travel programs for Road Scholar. At 8:30 a.m., the Bermuda Half Marathon Derby begins. It is a 13.1-mile running race that’s been held since 1909, making it Bermuda’s oldest race. The race starting line alternates each year between the east and west ends of the island, ending in the City of Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital.

This annual event is only open to Bermuda residents, but tourists and locals cheer them on from the sidelines, explains Rogers, and hotels can tell tourists where to find the best viewing spots. “They’ve got their deck chairs and their umbrellas parked off on the side of the road, and there’s music blaring. It really does have a great vibe to it,” says Rogers.   

After the race, everyone assembles in Hamilton to enjoy the parade, which starts at 1:30 p.m. and features dance groups, decorated floats, majorettes, and the Gombey troupes, who are the colorfully dressed masked dancers and drummers of Bermuda. The Gombey troupe’s performances share stories of resistance that date back to before emancipation, such as the story of David and Goliath, and depict the resistance to enslavement, the triumph of good over evil, and the celebration of liberty, explains Douglas.

Dozens of colorful floats created by local charities and clubs fiercely compete for prizes. The parade route is interspersed with food stalls, some of which sell the island’s signature dishes, like wahoo nuggets and fresh fish sandwiches.

Residents who don’t go to the parade can migrate to the East End by the water and watch the Bermuda Fitted Dinghy Race. The race marks the start of the dinghy season, which ends in September. “Bermuda has a long heritage of ship design, and the sailboats in use today are held to the same dimensions and standards [that were] set in 1883: 14-feet-1-inch overall from stem to stern with no other limitations, often resulting in a very large sail area, which can be a majestic sight to behold,” says Douglas.

Where to eat in Bermuda

The Pickled Onion restaurant and bar: This eclectic restaurant overlooks the street and has balcony seating, which is great for eating local cuisine and watching the parade from the restaurant. “Book a table in advance, so you don’t miss out,” says Rogers. 

Bermuda Bistro at The Beach: Located on Front Street, this restaurant has a veranda where visitors can watch the parade and enjoy local food.

Other recommendations include White Horse Pub & Restaurant, Lost in the Triangle, Mad Hatters, The Swizzle Inn, Tom Moore’s Tavern, and Wahoo’s Bistro & Patio, where tourists can enjoy Bermuda’s famous fish chowder.