When is August Monday?
August Monday is a national holiday in this British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean on the first Monday in August.
This holiday is the focal point of the Anguilla Summer Festival and commemorates the emancipation of the slaves in 1834.
History of August Monday
Almost every island in the Caribbean has its own Carnival and despite the shared heritage of mixing up medieval European pre-Lent customs with African festivals brought by slaves to the new world, each island seems to have developed a carnival unique to them.
In Anguilla, this is certainly the case. Here the dates have moved from early spring to late summer so that the focal point of the carnival lands close to August 1st.
For many islands that were a British colony, this date marks the emancipation of slaves across the British Empire in 1834.
The carnival period gets underway in July, turning into the Anguilla Summer Festival which runs for the last days of the carnival period.
The main events include beauty pageants, a Calypso Monarch competition, musical performances, J’ouvert and the Grand Parade of Troupes, in which costumed teams of dancers perform in the streets.
Arguably the main attraction on August Monday is the famous August Monday Boat Race. Beginning at Sandy Ground at 1 PM, the boats race around the island.
The first August Monday celebration occurred back in 1940. It started as a boat race and continued to evolve over the years into one of the biggest beach parties in the region.
