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Heroes Day 2026 Jamaica: Date, Ceremony Time and Honours

World · By SpikeToday ·

A street leading to the red and cream Morant Bay courthouse with a bronze statue of Paul Bogle on a white plinth in front of it
The statue of National Hero Paul Bogle in front of the courthouse in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, where the 1865 protest he led began. Photo: Michael L. Dorn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).

National Heroes Day in Jamaica is Monday, October 19, 2026, a public holiday on the third Monday in October. The National Honours and Awards ceremony begins at 9 a.m. on the lawns of King's House in Kingston, where 140 Jamaicans receive national honours this year, and it streams live on the Jamaica Information Service's YouTube channel. The day honours Jamaica's seven National Heroes, from Nanny of the Maroons to Sir Alexander Bustamante.

Heroes Day 2026 at a glance

Who is being honoured in 2026

Heading this year's list are seven people appointed to the Order of Jamaica (OJ), according to the Jamaica Information Service:

The other honourees receive the Order of Distinction, the Badge of Honour and other awards for service in fields from education and health to policing and the arts. JIS is publishing profiles of many of them in the days before the ceremony.

Jamaica's seven National Heroes

National HeroWhy they are honoured
Nanny of the MaroonsLeader of the Windward Maroons, communities of people who escaped slavery, and the only woman among the seven
Samuel SharpeLed the 1831 rebellion against slavery in western Jamaica
Paul BogleLed the 1865 Morant Bay protest against injustice
George William GordonPolitician and critic of the colonial government, executed after Morant Bay
Marcus Mosiah GarveyPolitical activist and philosopher who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association
Norman Washington ManleyThe first and only Premier of Jamaica, from 1959 to 1962
Sir Alexander BustamanteThe first Prime Minister of independent Jamaica, from 1962

The Order of National Hero is Jamaica's highest honour. It was created by the National Honours and Awards Act of 1969, which named Paul Bogle, George William Gordon and Marcus Garvey as the first three. National Heroes are given the style "The Right Excellent" and are traditionally honoured with a tomb or monument in National Heroes Park in Kingston (Wikipedia; JIS: National Heroes).

Black and white photo of Marcus Garvey in a suit and tie, seated at a desk with papers
Marcus Garvey in 1924. Photo: George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

The national honours, highest first

  1. Order of National Hero (ONH)
  2. Order of the Nation (ON) and Order of Excellence (OE), which rank equally
  3. Order of Merit (OM)
  4. Order of Jamaica (OJ)
  5. Order of Distinction, awarded as Commander (CD) or Officer (OD)

Below the orders, the Badge of Honour goes to civilians and the Medal of Honour to members of the uniformed services, for gallantry, meritorious service or long and faithful service. Details on JIS's page on National Awards.

Quick answers

When is Heroes Day 2026 in Jamaica?

Monday, October 19, 2026. It's always the third Monday in October.

Is Heroes Day a public holiday?

Yes. National Heroes Day is one of Jamaica's public holidays, along with Emancipation Day on August 1 and Independence Day on August 6.

What time is the National Honours and Awards ceremony?

9 a.m. on Monday, October 19, on the lawns of King's House, streamed live by JIS.

How many National Heroes does Jamaica have?

Seven: Nanny of the Maroons, Samuel Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Norman Manley and Sir Alexander Bustamante.

When is Heroes Day 2027?

Monday, October 18, 2027.

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