Bermuda Cup Match 2026
July 30 – July 31, 2026 | Somerset Cricket Club
During Cup Match, a public holiday unique to the island of Bermuda, the community enjoys a two day celebration of camping, boating, swimming and – most importantly – cricket. Every year before the start of the Cup Match holiday, rival fans can be seen donning their team’s colours – red and navy for Somerset, sky blue and navy for St. George’s – leaving no question as to which team they support.
The forerunner to Cup Match was introduced to mark Emancipation Day, which took place on August 1st, 1834. Bermudians from Somerset and St. George’s marked the anniversary of the abolition of slavery by holding annual picnics, with the highlight being a friendly cricket match played between lodges from the east and west ends of the island.
In 1901, during a cricket match between two major Friendly Societies, an agreement was made to play for an annual trophy. Members of the Friendly Societies and Lodges raised funds, and in 1902 a silver cup that was played for annually was introduced. Cup Match was officially born.
Since 1947 Bermuda celebrates two official national public holidays on the Thursday and Friday closest to August 1st. The first day of the Cup Match holiday was named Emancipation Day in 1999, and continues the tradition of remembering the end of slavery. In 2020 the second became a memory of Mary Prince day. Born into slavery on our shores, Mary didn’t just survive brutality—she documented it. In 1831, she became the first Black woman to publish an autobiography in the UK. Her raw words shocked the world, fueled the abolition movement, and helped dismantle slavery across the British Empire. We don’t just celebrate a day off today. We celebrate the permanent power of a Bermudian voice that refused to be silenced.
The two-day holiday became the annual two days of cricket played between the St. George’s Cricket Club and Somerset Cricket Club for the cup – Cup Match.
Find out how to watch the game here.
www.royalgazette.com/cricket/sport/article/20260728/cup-match-to-be-televised-on-pay-per-view/
