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Emancipation Parade stays on Monday; Rise & Shine Tramp shifted to Tuesday

After weeks of discussions, the Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism, Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith (R4) has announced that the government has decided that the emancipation parade will remain on August Monday. Photo: Facebook
In an interview with Kareem Nelsom Hull on Wednesday, March 18, 2026,Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith stated, We've decided is that we will have the parade on August Monday and we will move the tramp to August Tuesday.’’ Photo: VINO/File
In an interview with Kareem Nelsom Hull on Wednesday, March 18, 2026,Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith stated, We've decided is that we will have the parade on August Monday and we will move the tramp to August Tuesday.’’ Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- After weeks of discussions, the Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism, Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith (R4), has announced that the government has decided that the Emancipation Parade will remain on August Monday.

In an interview with Kareem Nelson Hull on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Honourable Hodge-Smith stated, "We've decided that we will have the parade on August Monday and we will move the tramp to August Tuesday."

Further review to be done 

The Junior minister, however, stated that a further review will be done on the Emancipation Parade and Tramp. 

"What we will do is that we will come back after the festival activity, and have a thorough review on where we are going with the festival because I think we just cannot address the surface, because there are some additional details that we wanted to be able to go into."

Concerns to be addressed

Honourable Hodge-Smith also stated that there are a number of concerns that need to be addressed regarding the staging of the Emancipation Festival.

"There are persons who were calling for our festival to be free, and then there are persons who are calling for festival days to be shortened. So, we definitely have to have further discussions about that because we've had a tramp on Tuesday in August before."

16 Responses to “Emancipation Parade stays on Monday; Rise & Shine Tramp shifted to Tuesday”

  • dread (20/03/2026, 08:41) Like (14) Dislike (13) Reply
    Jouvert should stay on Monday....The Monday Jouvert is the essence of the emancipation celebration from slavery when the freed slaves danced in the street to welcome the sunrise day on their first free day in 1834. The Parade can shift to Tuesday....Now we have Jouvert on Tues(Town) and Wed (East End) morning.
    • Anon (20/03/2026, 14:29) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      That's a bold faced lie. Slaves weren't even allowed to gather in public when they were freed. Massa was afraid of riots. BUT there were allowed to go to church.
    • ;) (20/03/2026, 14:51) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
      You don't have to go.
  • Marty Probasco. (20/03/2026, 09:58) Like (1) Dislike (6) Reply
    Do what will this accomplish? Did the people had a say in this? Joubrrt east end the next day? Lol
  • Wow. Wow. (20/03/2026, 10:03) Like (5) Dislike (5) Reply
    I really thought the Saturday before August Monday was a good move for parade and dedicate August Monday Morning for Tramp up until Mid- day... Then stary Village entertainment from 6pm promptly. Don't lime the Tuesday Jouvery, or sunrise, its not fitting...Tg
    hese leaders afraid to make decisions..Everybody wants to be boss and leader...
  • @dread (20/03/2026, 10:17) Like (5) Dislike (3) Reply
    While you are in nitpicking mode, check and see if the first free day in 1834 was a Monday.
  • Yes (20/03/2026, 11:10) Like (27) Dislike (0) Reply
    It doesn't matter which day they have the parade because some of us are still enslaved mentally.
  • tola g (20/03/2026, 13:01) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    These people just want to say they doing something. SMH
  • Dorothy (20/03/2026, 15:11) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Honourable Hodge-Smith stated, "We've decided that we will have the parade on August Monday and we will move the tramp to August Tuesday."
    The Junior minister, however, stated that a further review will be done on the Emancipation Parade and Tramp.

    review this weekend and cut this nonsense out.
  • bvibuzz (20/03/2026, 16:26) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    she and zoe going fight for the 4
  • Raw and Unfiltered (20/03/2026, 20:30) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Prematurely announcing the change was an unforced error. Canvassing residents after fact should have been upfront, avoiding the embarrassment. This was not a complex issue.
  • Doesn’t matter (20/03/2026, 21:29) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    @ bvibuzz. and none of the two will win. Every body don’t have the guts to be a politician; bottom line.
  • Sad (21/03/2026, 11:37) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply
    We need to give God thanks. It is e, that brought us thus far. All this gyrating and wukkin up only leads us closer to hell. Everything the church starts the devil takes over. Lets get BACK TO BIBLE!
  • God be praise (22/03/2026, 11:30) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
    God be praised. What God don't want cannot happen. We need to go back to the God of the bible.
  • change (23/03/2026, 13:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    With little comments on social media you changed your mind easy. For wha... perhaps fearing election results.


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