The Anguilla Summer Festival has been held every summer for more than 25 years. Although it originated as a Caribbean emancipation celebration, it roots can be traced back to old traditional fairs and Christmas festivities which have been influenced by African culture. The festival as we know it today is an amalgamation of those old traditional festivities and contemporary Caribbean carnivals.
The Anguilla Summer Festival kicks off on the first Monday of August, known as August Monday. It is a public holiday in Anguilla and many other Caribbean countries and territories. in Anguilla, August Monday was first celebrated in 1940 with boat racing, the favorite national pastime for Anguillans. This sport has since been integrated into the festival, becoming one of its main highlights.
The program of the Anguilla Summer Festival is incredibly rich and diverse. It includes pageants and competitions, soca, calypso and reggae performances, parades and processions, musical spectaculars, fireworks displays, shows, J'ouvert, the Grand Parade of Troupes, and more. The most important and exciting events are held on August Monday, August Thursday, and Constitution Day, which are public holidays in Anguilla.
The Anguilla Summer Festival hosts numerous pageants and competitions. They include Power Soca, Groovy Soca, Bandorama, Bandclash, Jr Calypso, Prince & Princess, Talented Teen, Senior Calypso, Miss Anguilla Queens Pageant, Leeward Islands Calypso, Parade of Troupes, and Roadmarch. Participants from all over the island compete for the coveted prices and titles.
Photo: Anguilla Summer Festival
