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History: Bermuda Day Timeline

May 17, 2022

The Bermuda Half Marathon Derby started over one hundred years ago, back in 1909, and the first Bermuda Day Parade took place in 1979. The timeline below shows a brief look at some of the key aspects and you can view extensive coverage of all the Bermuda Day festivities since 2010 here on BDADay.com.

1902

First Empire Day Takes Place

The first Empire Day took place on May 24, 1902 across the British Empire; this day would later become Bermuda Day.

1909

First Race Held

The first race was held, starting what is now the longest standing race in Bermuda history.

1915

Race Cancelled Due To WWI

The race was cancelled due to the First World War.

1916

First Bermudian Winner

The first Bermudian winner of the race, with John Simons winning in 1 hour, 20 minutes.

1976

First Female Winner

The first time the derby had male and female categories, with Merernette Bean-Simmons the first female winner.

1979

First Bermuda Day Parade Held

The first ever Bermuda Day Parade was held.

1987

First Cycling Race Held

The first time the cycling race was held on the holiday, won by Buddy Ford.

2007

Half Marathon Course Altered

The half marathon course was altered slightly to ensure that it spans 13.1 miles.

2017

Law Passes To Move Bermuda Day To Last Friday

Parliament passes legislation to move the official Bermuda Day holiday to the last Friday of the month of May; the new law took effect in 2018.

2020

Covid-19 Causes Cancellations

Both the race and parade were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

2021

BDADay.com Launched

BDADay.com was launched, the most comprehensive website available on the holiday.

2022

Parade Returns After Covid-19

After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the parade returned.