Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, tomorrow’s Bermuda Day Showcase will still go ahead – in miniature.

And now some tickets are available to the public following an initial allocation to essential workers.

And sandcastle-builder Hannah Emmerson has merged the island’s national day with another tradition to create a mini-float made out of sand.

Ms Emmerson is the organiser of the annual sandcastle competition, held every September.

But when Government announced that a mini-float competition would be held to replace the regular parade, she decided to put her sandcastle-building skills to the test.

The theme of this year’s event is resilience and Ms Emmerson said: “Resilience to me is all about how you look at a situation.

“People always ask if I’m sad the castles I create don’t last. My answer is ʽno’ – every tide and wave clears the slate to create something bigger and better the next day.

“Bermudians have this in their blood. No matter how many hurricanes we endure we return to build again, smarter, stronger, always growing always improving. Every adversity is a chance to do better.

“The mini-float parade was a perfect way for me to enter this year. Doing a float has long been on my bucket list of things to try. The mini version is as a perfect entry point – I sure learnt a lot.

“But I think it’s important that we continue these Bermudian traditions in any way possible and I applaud the Department of Culture for working around the Covid issue to still find a way to keep the event alive.”

Ms Emmerson said she was hopeful that this year’s sandcastle competition will go ahead.

She said: “The date is tentatively set for September 4 – Labour Day weekend as usual.

“I’m currently waiting for the government guidelines and Covid restrictions to ease to the next level so I can apply for a parks permit to hold the event.

“I am hopeful and optimistic that the event will happen again this year.

The event at the National Sports Centre was due to be open only to essential workers who have completed vaccination or have a negative coronavirus test. Capacity is limited to 1,000 people.

Last night the Department of Culture said that following an initial allocation to essential workers, the Bermuda Day Showcase registration was now open to the wider community and general public.

For a free ticket to the Bermuda Day Showcase, members of the public can visit Ptix.bm: https://www.ptix.bm/Event/7097/Bermuda-Day-Showcase-2021