Emancipation Day 2025, 2026 and 2027 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Since Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spent many years as British colonies, they share the holiday Emancipation Day with a number of other Caribbean nations. That is because slavery was abolished in the entire British Empire on 1 August during 1834, including in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Thus, 1 August is a national holiday and a major cultural event.

YearDateDayHoliday
20251 AugFriEmancipation Day
20261 AugSatEmancipation Day
20271 AugSunEmancipation Day
2 AugMonEmancipation Day Holiday
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

On a large scale, slavery existed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for less than 100 years. While other Caribbean colonies were packed with sugar plantations worked by slaves, these islands were still controlled by the native Carib tribesman who warded off European settlement for decades.

During the mid-1700s, slavery expanded with the new sugar industry on the islands. But it was only after the rich Carib sugar lands were seized in the 1820s that the industry, and the slave labour that supported it, really boomed. By that time, emancipation was not far away. Emancipation revolutionised life on the islands, and to this day, the nation commemorates the end of a brutal, if short-lived, “institution” with Emancipation Day parades, parties, and other festive events.

Previous Years

YearDateDayHoliday
20241 AugThuEmancipation Day
20231 AugTueEmancipation Day