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St. Martin Day Celebration set for Wednesday, Nov 11; programme to be announced
The Government of Sint Maarten's Department of Culture lists this year's St. Martin Day Celebration for Wednesday, November 11. The programme, venues and times have not been published yet.
By SXM Daily ·
The Government of Sint Maarten's Department of Culture lists this year's St. Martin Day Celebration for Wednesday, November 11, in its official Calendar of Events.
Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
What we know
- Date: Wednesday, November 11
- Organizer: Department of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS)
Programme to be announced
The department has not yet published this year's programme, including venues, start times, any parade route or where the joint ceremonies with the French side will be held. SXM Daily will update this listing when the programme is released.
Also on November 11
The St. Maarten's Day Around the Island Relay starts at 7:00 a.m. from the Belair Community & Fitness Center parking lot, according to the St. Maarten Road Runners Association. On the French side, the Festival de la Gastronomie runs from November 11 to 22, according to the festival's official programme.
Last year's programme (2025, for background)
The following describes last year's celebration, not this year's. The 66th St. Martin Day, on November 11, 2025, was held at the Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village under the theme "Sankofa — Learning from the past, to build for the future." Last year's programme included the Ringing of the Joy Bells, a wreath-laying at the Bellevue Border Monument, a noon National Cultural Parade from the Jose Lake Sr./John Cooper Ball Park to the Festival Village, official addresses from both sides, and a Cultural Manifestation from 6:00 to 11:45 p.m., according to the Government of Sint Maarten's 2025 release. That release also named the day's founding fathers as Dr. Claude Wathey, Clem Labega, Felix Choisy and Dr. Hubert Petit. The government has not said whether the 2026 programme will follow the same format.
The 2026 relay
This year's relay is the 39th edition, according to the St. Maarten Road Runners Association's 2026 race page.
Sources
- https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Departments/Pages/Events.aspx
- https://www.sxmroadrunners.com/events/relay-2026
- https://irp.cdn-website.com/26164568/files/uploaded/FDLGPROGRAMMEFR2026.compressed.pdf
- https://www.sintmaartengov.org/news/pages/The-entire-community-invited-to-come-out-&-join-in-the-66th-Annual-St--Martin-Day-Celebration.aspx
Source: https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Departments/Pages/Events.aspx