Anguilla Summer Festival 2026
A month of calypso, pageantry, street parties, and the island's national sport of boat racing, running July 10 through August 9, 2026.
31
Days of Festival
17
Event Days
29
Total Events
7
Boat Races
A Month of Music, Pageantry, and National Pride
Anguilla Summer Festival is the island’s largest annual celebration, running for four weeks from July 10 to August 9, 2026. What began as a small village carnival has grown into a month-long calendar of calypso and soca competitions, beauty pageants, street parties, and the island’s national sport of wooden boat racing, all organized by the Anguilla Festivals Development Commission.
The festival opens gently in mid-July with Village-Rama and the Calypso Semi-Finals, builds through pageants and the WASTED Cooler Festival, and turns up several notches for Opening Night’s fireworks display on July 29. From there, the final ten days, Carnival Week, belong to the boats: six days of sailing races staged mostly off Sandy Ground, interspersed with J’ouvert, beach parties, and the Grand Parade of Troupes.
The schedule below covers every date, time, and venue currently confirmed by the festival organizers and the Anguilla Boat Racing Association (ABRA).
The days not to miss
- August Monday (Aug 3) is the cultural heart of the festival. It marks Emancipation Day — the 1838 abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean — and starts before dawn with J’ouvert Morning: paint, powder, music trucks and a moving crowd as the sun comes up. The Sir Emile Gumbs Boat Race follows later in the day.
- The boat races are Anguilla’s national sport: wooden sailboats and fierce village pride, ending with the Champ of Champions race that decides the season on the final day.
- Grand Parade of Troupes is the full-costume road march — the classic carnival day.
- Senior Calypso Monarch brings sharp, funny, pointed lyrics competing for the island’s most respected musical title.
Many street events — J’ouvert, the village street festivals and the Grand Parade — are free and open to everyone; pageants, fetes and some shows are ticketed. Festival weeks are the busiest travel window of the summer, so if you’re arriving around August Monday, book transfers early and allow extra time at the ferry terminal.
Every Event, Date, and Time
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Want the full boat racing breakdown?
Read our deep dive on Carnival Week: the daily race schedule with B and A Series start times, the 2026 planned routes by class, and the full A Class and B Class prize purses.
Read the Boat Racing GuideGetting to the festival by ferry
The public ferry runs year-round between Marigot, St. Martin and Blowing Point, Anguilla, about 25 minutes each way. Check published departures, fares, and terminal tips before you travel.
Read the Ferry GuideFrequently Asked Questions
The Anguilla Summer Festival runs from July 10 through August 9, 2026. It opens with Village-Rama and calypso competitions in mid-July, builds through the Opening Night fireworks on July 29, and culminates in Carnival Week boat racing from August 2 to 9.