Public holidays in Bermuda

This is a list of regular named Holidays in Bermuda.[1] Every Sunday is also considered a holiday.[2]

Name2015 Date2016 Date[3]2017 Date2018 Date2019 Date2020 Date2021 Date[4]2022 Date[5]2023 Date[5] 2024 Date[6] 2025 Date[7]Remarks
New Year's Day1 January1 January2 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 3 January 2 January 1 January 1 Januaryif on a weekend, will be moved to the next Monday
Good Friday3 April25 March14 April 30 March 19 April 10 April 2 April 15 April 7 April 29 March 18 AprilNotable for extensive Bermuda kite flying.
Bermuda Day25 May24 May24 May 25 May 24 May 29 May 28 May 27 May 26 May 24 May 23 MayPreviously known as Victoria Day, Empire Day, and Commonwealth Day.
National Heroes Day15 June20 June19 June 18 June 17 June 15 June 21 June 20 June 19 June 17 June 16 JuneThis holiday began in 2008, first commemorated on October 12 2008 and was moved to replace the Queen's Official Birthday in 2009.[8][9] [10]
Emancipation Day30 July28 July3 August 2 August 1 August 30 July 29 July 28 July 3 August 1 August 31 JulyFirst day of Cup Match; formerly Cup Match Day until 2000.
Mary Prince Day31 July29 July4 August 3 August 2 August 31 July 30 July 29 July 4 August 2 August 1 AugustSecond day of Cup Match. Named after Mary Prince, until 2020 was known as Somers' Day after Sir George Somers.[11]
Labour Day7 September5 September4 September 3 September 2 September 7 September 6 September 5 September 4 September 2 September 1 SeptemberEstablished in 1982.[12][13] The symbolic end of summer.
Remembrance Day11 November11 November13 November 12 November 11 November 11 November 11 November 11 November 13 November 11 November 11 NovemberA service is held at the cenotaph in Hamilton; if on a weekend, will be moved to the next Monday
Christmas Day25 December27[14][15] December25 December 25 December 25 December 25 December 27 December 26 December 25 December 25 December 25 Decembernormally the 25th, but the day off will be moved, if on a weekend
Boxing Day28[16][17] December26 December26 December 26 December 26 December 28 December 28 December 27 December 26 December 26 December 26 Decembernormally the 26th, but the day off will be moved, if on a weekend

There are exceptional Holidays from time to time. E.g. the 8th of May 2023 was such a public holiday to commemorate the King's Coronation.[18]

Nature of Public Holidays

The official list of Public Holidays was set out in 1947 in the Public Holidays Act. Since the Act has been amended a number of times including in 2009 to move the National Heroes Day from October to June to replace the Queen's Official Holiday and the replacement of Somers' Day with Mary Prince Day in 2020.

Emancipation Day and Mary Prince Day (formerly Cup Match Day and Somers' Day) which last two days, are know together be known as Cup Match, during which a intra-island cricket game is played between the Somerset Cricket Club in the east of the island and St. George's Cricket Club in the west. The Cup Match was created to celebrate and commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in Bermuda and has taken place since at least 1902.[19][20]

Public holidays featured nearly a complete shut-down of Bermuda, with all public offices and stores closed. Not only was the sale of goods on public holidays made illegal, but offering items for sale and even allowing customers into a store constituted an offense. Hotel restaurants, pharmacies and stores that had been granted special licenses by the government were exempted from this.

In March 2005, the Bermuda government passed a major amendment to the Act that allowed stores to finally open. It required that employers give their staff at least seven days (written) notice of a need for their service; it also required that employers inform those employees of their right to refuse, and prohibited any sort of disciplinary action or dismissal for employees who did refuse.

References
  1. "Public holidays". Government of Bermuda. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  2. "Public Holidays Act 1947" (PDF). Bermuda Laws Online. The Government of Bermuda. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. "GARBAGE AND RECYCLING SCHEDULE 2016" (PDF). The Government of Bermuda. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. cminors (18 January 2021). "PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2021". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  5. cminors (18 January 2021). "PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2022/2023". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  6. cminors (25 March 2022). "PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2024 CABINET OFFICE". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  7. cminors (25 March 2022). "PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2025 CABINET OFFICE". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. http://www.royalgazette.com/rg/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=60&articleId=7d9a4b33003000d%5B%5D
  9. "Bermuda's National Heroes Day changed". jamaica-gleaner.com. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  10. "National Heroes Day – Department of Culture". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  11. Bell, Jonathan (23 July 2021). "One year late, Mary Prince Day will be celebrated at Cup Match". www.royalgazette.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  12. "" 2002 newspaper editorial on the subject
  13. "" 1982 military document noting first Bermuda Labor Day in 1982
  14. "Public holidays | Government of Bermuda". 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. "Bermuda Public Holidays 2016 and 2017". Bermuda. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. "Holidays in Bermuda in 2015 | Official Holidays". timesles.com. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  17. "Holidays and Observances in Bermuda in 2015". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  18. cminors (3 April 2023). "PROCLAMATION MONDAY 8TH MAY 2023 PUBLIC HOLIDAY". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  19. "Cup Match Time in Bermuda". Go To Bermuda. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  20. "Just what is Cup Match?". www.royalgazette.com. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
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