Public Holidays 2010

The following Public Holidays are celebrated in The Islands of The Bahamas:

Observance of the 2010 Public Holidays and 2011 New Year’s Day Holiday
June 04, 2010 - Holiday Update to supercede information in the list that follows.

The Cabinet Office wishes to advise the general public of the decision taken by the Government with respect to the remaining public holidays for 2010 and New Year’s Day 2011.

Saturday, July 10, 2010 will be observed as a regular day with stores being allowed to conduct business as usual.  Monday, July 12, 2010 will be celebrated as the Independence Day Holiday and at that time all stores will be kept closed.

The Emancipation Day Holiday will be observed on Monday, August 2, 2010 followed by Discovery Day on Monday, October 11, 2010.

The public should also take note that Christmas Day will be observed on the day it falls, which is Saturday, December 25, 2010.  Stores are not allowed to be open on Christmas Day.  Further, Boxing Day will be celebrated on Monday, December 27, 2010 with stores being allowed to open at this time.

The New Year’s Day Holiday will be observed on Monday, January 3, 2011 with stores opening for business.  Saturday, January 1, 2011 is considered a regular day and stores are open for business as usual.

Holidays 2010

• 1 Jan New Year's Day.

• 2 Apr Good Friday. (Friday before Easter Sunday)
  This Religious Holiday marks the end of the Lenten Season and is the first day of a long holiday weekend which includes the following Monday after Easter Sunday. On this holy day most Bahamians attend church services and serve fish as their main meal of the day.

• 5 Apr Easter Monday.(Monday after Easter Sunday)
  This Holiday marks the beginning of the Beach Picnicking season for Bahamians. There are also many cookouts in Public Parks on the Nassau waterfront; homecomings and regattas are held in some Out Islands.

• 24 May Whit Monday.  (Seventh Monday after Easter)
  This Holiday marks the beginning of public witness of the Christian Church and is the Monday after Whit Sunday, The Feast of Pentecost, which comes 50 days after Easter.

• 4 Jun Labour Day. (First Friday in June)
  On this Holiday, members of the Labour Unions from different organizations as well as Political Parties march in a large parade through the streets of Downtown Nassau, usually in colourful uniforms, beginning around 10:00 a.m. Local bands and a few junkanooers lead the parades, providing lively music for the marchers and spectators. The parade ends at the Southern Recreation Grounds, where Union Leaders and local politicians deliver speeches. Most Bahamians spend the afternoon relaxing or visiting beaches.

• 10 Jul Independence Day.

• 2 Aug Emancipation Day. (First Monday in August) This holiday is also known as August Monday and is celebrated on the first Monday in August. The holiday celebrates the emancipation of slavery in the British Colonies in 1834. The holiday is celebrated with a Junkanoo Rush- out, a day of beaching, sailing, and regattas in New Providence and the Out Islands. In New Providence old slave villages such as Gambier in the west and Fox Hill in the east have their own special celebrations.

• 12 Oct National Heroes' Day. RPreviously celebrated a Columbus or  Discovery day the name has been changed in honour of Bahamian National Heroes. To this end a small ceremony is held in Rawson Square, downtown Nassau, in honour of Bahamian National Heroes.

• 25 Dec Christmas Day.

• 26 Dec Boxing Day. (Junkanoo Parades take place in some islands.)
  This holiday was granted to the slaves the day after Christmas when they were given the boxes left over from their master’s gifts. These boxes usually were sent from England and were well crafted from fine wood. Hence the Holiday is known as Boxing Day.

2011

• 1 Jan New Year's Day.
• 22 Apr Good Friday.
• 25 Apr Easter Monday.
• 3 Jun Labour Day.
• 13 Jun Whit Monday.
• 10 Jul Independence Day.
• 3 Aug Emancipation Day.
• 12 Oct National Heroes' Day.
• 25 Dec Christmas Day.
• 26 Dec Boxing Day.

Please note: Holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday are usually celebrated on the following Monday.

Holidays falling on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday – the Tuesday holiday is usually celebrated on Monday and the Wednesday & Thursday holidays will be celebrated on Friday (with the exception of Independence Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Banks/businesses (and many shops) are closed on Public Holidays.