Events
The islands' yearly calendar, month by month. Dates move every year, so check each event's official page before you plan a trip around it.
January
Rhythms at Sunset
The third Friday evening of most months
St. Croix
Our Town Frederiksted hosts this free monthly evening of live music at Verne I. Richards Veterans Memorial Park on the Frederiksted waterfront, with the sunset over the water as a backdrop. Local performers play, with dance and spoken word on some nights, and food, drink and artisan vendors set up in the park; the bar takes cash and tap-to-pay cards. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Friday of the month, but some months are skipped and special editions, such as a July 4 concert, fall on other days, so check the schedule.
Our Town Frederiksted's calendarLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Our Town Frederiksted; Our Town Frederiksted; GoToStCroix.com
Frederiksted Pier St. Croix Scenic 50
A weekend day in mid-January
St. Croix
This 50-kilometer (31.2-mile) trail ultramarathon, first run in 2010, starts and finishes at Cane Bay Beach on the north shore and loops through the north and west of St. Croix in a rough figure eight. About half the course is jeep trail, with the rest split between paved road and single track, past coastal views, rolling hills and forest. Runners race solo or as relay teams of two or three. The start is at 6 a.m., before sunrise, so runners on the first stretch are advised to carry a headlamp. There are eight aid stations and a 10-hour limit, every finisher gets a medal, and a beach party and awards follow at the finish.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Scenic 50; St. Croix Scenic 50; GoToStCroix.com
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February
8 Tuff Miles
The last Saturday in February
St. John
This road race crosses St. John from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay on Centerline Road (Route 10), a course of about 8.4 miles. It climbs from near sea level to a high point of 999 feet before dropping to the finish, and runners, joggers and walkers all take part. Peter Alter proposed the race, and the first one, in 1997, had 21 finishers; recent races have had more than 1,000 finishers, and entries were capped at 1,500 for 2026. Registration opens in July for the following February, and every finisher receives a medal and T-shirt.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: 8 Tuff Miles; St. Croix Source
Coral Bay from the hills Photo: Eoghanacht, CC0
Agrifest
Presidents' Day weekend in February, Saturday to Monday
St. Croix
Agrifest, formally the Agriculture and Food Fair of the U.S. Virgin Islands, fills the Rudolph Shulterbrandt Agricultural Complex in Estate Lower Love for three days; 2026 was its 54th year. Farmers from all three islands and guests from around the Caribbean show livestock and produce, cooks sell local food and drinks, and steel bands, cultural dancers and moko jumbies (stilt dancers) perform. The V.I. Department of Agriculture and the University of the Virgin Islands School of Agriculture are the presenting sponsors, and Farmer of the Year awards are given. Children's rides and a petting zoo draw families. In 2026 the fair ran 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and adult admission was $8.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Thomas Source; V.I. Agrifest; GoToStCroix.com
Christiansted Jump Ups
Four Friday evenings a year: before Valentine's Day, late May, July and the Friday after Thanksgiving
St. Croix
Four times a year, the Christiansted Retail and Restaurant Association closes several downtown streets to cars for an evening street party, usually from 6 to 10 p.m. Steel pan players and live bands perform, moko jumbies (dancers on tall stilts) move through the crowd, food and drink vendors line the streets, and shops stay open late with local art and crafts for sale. Entry is free. The February Jump Up, held just before Valentine's Day, is the biggest. Road closures and parking bans start around 4 p.m., and cars left in the closed blocks are towed.
Department of Tourism listingLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: The Virgin Islands Consortium; GoToStCroix.com; Virgin Islands Police Department; Visit USVI
Arcaded street in Christiansted Mardi Croix
A Saturday shortly before Mardi Gras, in February or early March
St. Croix
St. Croix's Mardi Gras-style day on the north shore centers on a costumed parade from La Vallee to just past Cane Bay Beach. Costumes are encouraged (the 2026 theme was 'Caribbean FantaSea'), and vendors sell food and local arts and crafts along the Cane Bay waterfront. The parade is not always held on the Saturday right before Mardi Gras, so confirm the date and start time on the Department of Tourism's listing before you go.
Department of Tourism listingLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Visit USVI; GoToStCroix.com
March
St. Croix St. Patrick's Day Parade
The Saturday closest to or before St. Patrick's Day
St. Croix
Christiansted has held a St. Patrick's Day parade since 1969, when a group of local businessmen decided St. Croix should have one; a nonprofit parade committee now runs it, with a new theme each year. Floats and costumed troupes step off at 11 a.m. sharp from Fort Christiansvaern, go up Company Street to Market Street and return along King Street, with children's groups at the front. Roads close from 9 a.m. and cars parked on the route are towed, so arrive and park early. Watching is free, food and drink vendors line the route, and bars and restaurants keep the party going on the boardwalk into the night.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee; St. Thomas Source; GoToStCroix.com
Fort Christiansvaern Photo: CaptJayRuffins, CC BY-SA 4.0
St. Thomas International Regatta
A long weekend in late March or April
St. Thomas
The St. Thomas Yacht Club on Cowpet Bay has hosted this regatta for more than 50 years, drawing crews from around the Caribbean, the U.S. mainland, the U.K. and Ireland. Boats race in handicap classes and in one-design fleets such as IC24s, Sunfish and Hobie Waves, on round-the-buoy and round-the-islands courses, and the Round the Rocks race circles St. John just before the main event. Evenings bring dinners, happy hours and live music at the club. For 2027 the regatta moved off Easter weekend, added wing foiling and a distance race, and became part of a new USVI Sailing Week with the Virgin Islands Boating Expo.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Thomas Yacht Club; St. Thomas Yacht Club; St. Thomas Yacht Club; Cruising World; The Virgin Islands Consortium
Transfer Day
March 31 every year
Across the territory
March 31 is a legal holiday marking the day in 1917 when Denmark transferred St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix to the United States, which paid $25 million in gold; at 4 p.m. the Danish flag came down for the last time and the American flag went up. The Governor's office announces the territory-wide observance, with ceremonies, cultural presentations and historical reenactments. On St. Croix, the Lawaetz Family Museum north of Frederiksted has opened free that day for speeches, music and dance, and Whim Museum and the Christiansted National Historic Site often host talks and exhibits.
Official list of V.I. legal holidaysLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands; Superior Court of the Virgin Islands; GoToStCroix.com
Danish Custom House
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April
St. Thomas Carnival
Late April to early May, over about a week
St. Thomas
The Department of Tourism and its Division of Festivals stage this week-long carnival in Charlotte Amalie; 2026 was its 74th year. The program includes the queen and princess pageants, the Calypso Monarch contest, boat races, children's and adults' parades, a food fair with traditional Virgin Islands dishes and locally made crafts, free nightly concerts, and a Carnival Village with local food and music. J'ouvert, a street party that starts at daybreak, fills the waterfront, and the week builds to the main parade, in which thousands of masqueraders (costumed revelers) cover a route of about two miles through town.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism; Visit USVI; St. Croix Source; Visit USVI
Long Bay, Charlotte Amalie Virgin Islands Boating Expo (VIBE)
Three or four days in April or May
St. Thomas
The Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association runs this boat show at IGY's Yacht Haven Grande marina on St. Thomas. Dealers and charter companies show sailing yachts, catamarans and powerboats for sale or charter at the docks, some available for test sails from the show berth, and the 2025 vendor expo drew nearly 50 businesses. Daily seminars have covered topics such as financing a boat and placing it in charter, alongside Caribbean food and drink and live steel pan, soca and reggae. The show is open to the public with tickets. In 2027 it joins the St. Thomas International Regatta in a new USVI Sailing Week.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: VIBE; Sail-World; St. Thomas Yacht Club
Yacht Haven Grande Photo: Luigi Rosa, CC BY-SA 2.0
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May
Beach to Beach Power Swim
The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, in late May
St. John
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park runs this open-water swim, formally Joe Kessler's Beach to Beach Power Swim, along St. John's north shore inside the national park. Races start at 8 a.m. from Maho Bay: a 1-mile course to Cinnamon Bay, 2.25 miles to Trunk Bay, or the full 3.5 miles to Hawksnest Bay, which is also open to three-person relay teams. Swimmers using fins, snorkels or wetsuits race in a separate assisted category. The 2026 race drew 361 swimmers aged 5 to 86. Registration opens February 1 and closes a few days before the race, or sooner if the field fills. Proceeds support the group's Learn to Swim program, sea turtle protection and education.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Friends of Virgin Islands National Park; Friends of Virgin Islands National Park; St. Thomas Source; St. John Tradewinds
Maho Bay Photo: Amaury Laporte, CC BY 2.0
June
Taste of St. Croix
One evening, traditionally in mid-April; most recently in June
St. Croix
Two local restaurateurs started this food festival in 2001, and it now brings together more than 40 St. Croix chefs, restaurants and farms, who serve tastings alongside visiting winemakers, rum distillers and brewers. Guests vote for a People's Choice award. The nonprofit Taste of St. Croix, Inc. runs the evening and donates proceeds to community programs and local organizations. The 2026 edition moved from the usual mid-April date to June and returned to its original venue, the Divi Carina Bay Resort; as of October 2026 the next date had not been announced. Tickets are sold on the event website.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Taste of St. Croix, Inc.; Visit USVI; GoToStCroix.com
International Optimist Regatta
A week in June, ending on Father's Day weekend
St. Thomas
The St. Thomas Yacht Club has hosted this week of Optimist dinghy racing for more than 30 years, drawing sailors aged 8 to 15 from around the world. Sailors race in fleets by age, plus a Green fleet for beginners. The week opens with a three-day clinic on Cowpet Bay and a day of team racing, followed by three days of racing a few miles offshore in the trade winds. Families join evening events such as a parade of nations, and the week ends with a Father's Day barbecue and awards. Entry is capped (150 sailors in 2026), so register early.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Thomas Yacht Club; Sail-World; Visit USVI
St. John Celebration
June through July 4, with the busiest week at the end
St. John
St. John's carnival season links Emancipation Day on July 3 with Independence Day on July 4. The Department of Tourism and its Division of Festivals spread events over several weeks in and around Cruz Bay, including a steel pan show, a royalty pageant, a food fair at Franklin A. Powell Sr. Park and boat races in Cruz Bay Harbor. The Celebration Village in Cruz Bay opens for the final week with nightly music, food vendors and cultural activities. July 3 brings a J'ouvert street party at sunrise, an Emancipation Day program and an evening torchlight parade, and July 4 closes with a parade through Cruz Bay and fireworks over the harbor.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism; Visit USVI; Visit USVI
Cruz Bay harbor
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July
Bastille Day and French Heritage Week
The week leading up to Bastille Day, July 14
St. Thomas
St. Thomas honors its French community, many of whose families came from St. Barthelemy, Guadeloupe and St. Martin, with a week of events in July. In Frenchtown, the Frenchtown Civic Organization hosts an evening Bastille Day celebration with live music, food, a cash bar and tours of the French Heritage Museum, a tradition of more than 90 years. On the Northside, the Northside Sportfishing Club runs its Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament out of Hull Bay, with a day of fishing plus music, food, drinks and children's activities. Venues and times change from year to year, so check local news in early July.
The French Heritage MuseumLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Source; St. Thomas Source; Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John Tradewinds
French Heritage Museum, Frenchtown Photo: Gruepig, CC BY-SA 4.0
Emancipation Day
July 3 every year
Across the territory
July 3 is a legal holiday marking the end of slavery in the Danish West Indies in 1848. That year an uprising led by General Buddhoe brought thousands of enslaved people to Fort Frederik in Frederiksted, and Governor Peter von Scholten proclaimed them free. On St. Croix the day begins before dawn with the Fort-to-Fort Walk to Freedom, which leaves Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted for Frederiksted; walkers are asked to wear white. In the evening a quelbe tramp, a street procession with live music, moves through Frederiksted and ends in a quadrille dance. On St. John, July 3 brings a J'ouvert street party at sunrise, an Emancipation Day program and an evening torchlight parade.
Official list of V.I. legal holidaysLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Superior Court of the Virgin Islands; GoToStCroix.com; Unheard Voices Magazine; U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism
Fort Frederik, Frederiksted Photo: Matt H. Wade, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mango Melee
Usually the second Sunday in July
St. Croix
St. George Village Botanical Garden near Frederiksted holds this mango festival as its largest yearly fundraiser; 2026 was its 30th year. More than 100 local food and craft vendors fill the garden's 16 acres, and the day brings mango tastings, a mango cooking contest, rum drinks, plant sales, workshops and, in the afternoon, mango-eating contests for children and adults. In 2026 it ran from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission was $10 for adults and $5 for children 5 to 12, and parking in nearby lots cost $5, with shuttle buses to the gate. Parking overflowed in 2025, so arrive early.
The garden's events pageLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. George Village Botanical Garden; St. Croix Source; St. George Village Botanical Garden; GoToStCroix.com
November
Art Thursday
The third Thursday of each month, November through May
St. Croix
On the third Thursday of each month in the winter season, galleries, jewelry studios and shops in downtown Christiansted stay open from 5 to 8 p.m. for a self-guided art walk. Visitors can meet local artists and browse paintings, sculpture, photography and jewelry, usually with light refreshments and live music along the way, and restaurants and boardwalk bars are close by for dinner afterward. The walk is free. The late St. Croix artist Maria Henle started it to promote the town's galleries.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Visit USVI; GoToStCroix.com
Downtown Christiansted Coral Bay Thanksgiving Regatta
The Saturday after Thanksgiving
St. John
The Coral Bay Yacht Club and KATS St. John, a youth sailing program, hold this one-day regatta off Coral Bay. Larger boats race a course of about 18 nautical miles that uses nearby islands and rocks as marks, while two-person crews sail short dinghy races in Lasers and Sunfish supplied by KATS. Entry fees go to KATS and its young sailors. Racing starts mid-morning near Johnson Reef, and the day ends with awards and live music at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. Spectators can watch the fleet from the Coral Harbor waterfront.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Coral Bay and Fortsberg Photo: Heptazane, CC BY-SA 4.0
Crucian Coconut Festival
A weekend in late November or early December
St. Croix
St. Croix Farmers in Action, a nonprofit, holds this weekend coconut festival at the historic Estate Bethlehem Sugar Factory site in mid-island St. Croix, and it opens the island's Christmas season. The first evening has featured a juried fine art exhibit and a coconut cooking competition with live music. The main festival day adds moko jumbies (stilt dancers), children's activities, coconut-husking and hat-weaving demonstrations, local food, coconut drinks and crafts. Tickets are sold for the events, and proceeds help maintain the Bethlehem site.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Source; St. Croix Farmers in Action; GoToStCroix.com
Paradise Jam
Late November, around Thanksgiving week
St. Thomas
Basketball Travelers has run this early-season NCAA Division I tournament since it began in 2000, with the University of the Virgin Islands as host. Games are played at the Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center on the university's Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas: an eight-team men's bracket in the days before Thanksgiving, then three four-team women's tournaments over the holiday. All games stream on ESPN+. Fans buy tournament or single-day passes, online in advance or with cash at the gate; there are no single-game tickets, and seating is first come, first served.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Basketball Travelers; Basketball Travelers; University of the Virgin Islands; Visit USVI
St. Croix Coral Reef Swim
A Sunday in early November
St. Croix
Elizabeth Armstrong, owner of The Buccaneer resort, and swimmer Kim Sanford founded this open-water race, which draws attention to the Caribbean's threatened coral reefs; the 2026 race, in November, is the 30th. The five-mile course starts on Buck Island, inside Buck Island Reef National Monument, and crosses the channel to St. Croix, while races of 2.4 miles and one mile follow the East End shore. All three finish on The Buccaneer's Mermaid Beach, where a steel band plays. The field runs from fitness swimmers to elite open-water athletes, aged 11 to their late 70s, and newcomers must attend a course talk the day before.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Coral Reef Swim; St. Croix Coral Reef Swim; St. Croix Coral Reef Swim; St. Croix Source
Buck Island Reef National Monument Photo: Sean Linehan, NOAA, Public domain
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December
Crucian Christmas Festival
Early December to the first days of January
St. Croix
St. Croix's carnival, a tradition with roots in the 1800s, runs through the holidays. The Department of Tourism and its Division of Festivals open the season in early December with pageants and calypso and soca contests, some of them ticketed. After Christmas the Festival Village opens with free nightly concerts and food stalls, followed by boat races, a food fair and J'ouvert, a street party that begins before dawn. The season ends in the first days of January with the children's and adults' parades and a fireworks finale. In the 2025-26 season the Festival Village, the adults' parade and the fireworks were all in Frederiksted; check each season's schedule for locations.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: Visit USVI; U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism; GoToStCroix.com; St. John Tradewinds
Eliza James-McBean Clock Tower Garden of Lights
Weekend evenings from early December into early January
St. Croix
For the holidays, St. George Village Botanical Garden near Frederiksted strings thousands of lights through the ruins of its 18th-century sugar plantation, its arches and its tropical plantings, with displays by local volunteers and artwork from local schools. The season opens on an early-December Friday with a ticketed cocktail walk, a fundraiser with holiday drinks, local food, steel pan music, quadrille dancers and a silent auction. After that the garden opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings into early January, and children's activities have included stories and visits from Santa. Admission is charged, and the proceeds support the garden.
The garden's events pageLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. George Village Botanical Garden; GoToStCroix.com
St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade
The second Saturday in December, after sundown
St. Croix
A group of local boaters founded this parade in 1998, and each December decorated, lit-up boats circle Christiansted Harbor after dark, playing holiday music. Thousands of spectators line the boardwalk from Rum Runners to Fort Christiansvaern, and it fills quickly, so arrive early. Vendors sell food and merchandise in the nearby streets, moko jumbies (stilt dancers) perform on the boardwalk, and restaurants stay open late. The evening ends with fireworks over the harbor, and the 2025 parade also had a drone show. A nonprofit organization runs the parade, and boat owners can enter for free.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade; St. John Tradewinds; GoToStCroix.com; Visit USVI
Christiansted from Recovery Hill Photo: Jason P. Heym, CC BY-SA 3.0
St. Croix Food and Wine Experience
A Friday evening in early December
St. Croix
The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development runs the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience, whose main event is Wine in the Warehouse: one evening in the Bohlke International Aviation hangar, set among private jets. Island chefs and caterers serve small plates alongside a nationally known guest chef, with curated wines, spirits and live music; the 2025 edition offered more than 45 wines, a silent auction and high school culinary students cooking with the guest chef. Tickets are sold on the event website ($175, or $150 early, in 2025). It is the foundation's only yearly fundraiser, and proceeds support its community work, including the revitalization of downtown Christiansted.
This year's datesLast verified October 30, 2026
Sources: St. Croix Foundation for Community Development; The Virgin Islands Consortium; GoToStCroix.com
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