Rise and Shine & Parade 'can no longer be on same day'- Hon Luce D. Hodge-Smith
Hon Hodge-Smith made this announcement during Virgin Islands Voice, which aired on Facebook on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
“There are, of course, some issues we need to address. Although it was a very successful festival, there are still some matters we want to discuss, and we will cover these during the official wrap-up. One important topic I want people to consider is that the Rise and Shine Tramp and the parade can no longer be on the same day.”
Both the Rise and Shine Tramp and the Parade are held on the first Monday in August. There have been concerns that the August Monday Parade does not get more participation because most of the revellers from the Rise and Shine Tramp are too exhausted or even incapacitated to return later in the day for the parade.
Parade likely to be shifted to another day
The Junior Minister emphasised, “We need to come to some kind of negotiation and agreement. My perspective is that the Rise and Shine Tramp should not be removed, as it symbolizes when the people took to the streets, jubilant upon hearing the news of our freedom. Along with the torchlight procession, there may be some differences, but the tramp also represents when the people celebrated their freedom.”
Hon Hodge-Smith added, “We need to decide whether to move the parade and where it would be relocated. I know there will be differing opinions, but I hope that when we have this discussion, we can bring it to the people for a final decision.”
She also expressed the hope that everyone will be open-minded enough to recognise that the two major events cannot be held on the same day.
"We will discuss the reasons for this when the time comes.”
Additionally, she highlighted that there should be discussions about the return of the Miss BVI pageant, stating, “We will be looking to form a committee in the near future to take on the challenge of getting our Miss BVI pageant back in order, as this is a significant priority for us.”
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26 Responses to “Rise and Shine & Parade 'can no longer be on same day'- Hon Luce D. Hodge-Smith ”
ADULT CHILDREN.
Fete Monday 4-8am parade Monday 2 -6pm after the ppl wake up. East Village opens Monday 8pm, water sports tues 8am horse race Tuesday 1pm East end Village 8pm east end tramp Wednesday 4am east end parade Wednesday 2pm, Carrot bay from Thursday so we celebrate from east to west til last lap and then the season is over. Rest up we'll do it again next year.
Proposed Festival Event Adjustment
August Monday (public holiday)
4:00–9:00 AM → Rise and Shine Tramp
Day & night left open for beach, family gatherings, and rest.
Evening could have smaller cultural or music events.
Parade Day (2–3 days later) — e.g., Wednesday or Thursday
Morning or early afternoon start, so it doesn’t clash with late-night concerts.
This would allow participants to prepare costumes and floats without being exhausted from the Tramp.
Could be paired with a food fair or village night to keep the festive momentum.
This way:
The Tramp keeps its historic emancipation symbolism.
The Parade gets better attendance and energy.
Festival week has more evenly spread highlights instead of everything crammed into one day.
another thing east end jouvery should start from yep/car wash area to the bridge or beach this will get the entire fathogs bay area and east end area involved, going back and forth on that piece of highway aint mek no sense.
is bringing guns to the events part of it as well? showing our freedom by looking to take a life if needs be over petty nonsense.
Have Joubert on Tuesday and end it waterfront where water sports will start. NOTHING happens on Tuesday. What is the history of parade on Monday n are we prepared to erase history just for jouvert. Who is thinking rational here.