The 2025 August Monday Festival Parade rolled through Road Town yesterday, celebrating emancipation with vibrant colour, music and a strong island spirit.
The streets of Road Town came alive on Monday as the annual Emancipation Festival Parade celebrated the abolition of slavery in 1834 and showcased the territory’s rich culture. Parade Marshall Kenisha Sprauve led more than 40 entries, including pageant winners, school groups, community organisations and energetic performance troupes.
Three headline acts raised the energy along the route. Soca star Pumpa, known for his hit “The Ting Nice,” Asa Bantan of Dominica, dubbed the “Bouyon Boss”, and local band VIBE all performed to enthusiastic crowds, blending tradition and modern beats.
The parade featured many troupes such as Heritage Dancers, Culture Bearers, the Rotary, Up Top Band, Ice Breakers Pom Pom and Majorettes, Paradise Sky Dancers, Legacy VI Troupe, Treasures Demo, and Ova Drive, with Pumpa, VIBE and Asa Bantan near the end.
The festival parade marked the start of a three-day public holiday in the BVI, observed on the first Monday through Wednesday in August, to commemorate emancipation. This year’s event blended cultural pride and entertainment. This year’s Festival theme was: Embrace The Past, Let Unity Thrive, As We Celebrate Emancipation Festival 2025.
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