Bermuda Day is to be tied to a fixed date.

The holiday — seen as the unofficial start to summer — will now be held on the last Friday in May rather than May 24.

Zane DeSilva, the Minister of Social Development and Sport, said the change would mean the holiday would be celebrated over a long weekend rather than sometimes falling on a weekday. Mr DeSilva told The Royal Gazette: “This will enable people to plan a little better.

“There has always been a complaint that the absentee rate for schoolchildren and employees is higher when the holiday is celebrated during the week. We also feel that with this change there can be more planning with regard to the parade.”

The holiday goes back to 1902, when Empire Day was marked on Queen Victoria’s birthday. It later became Commonwealth Day.

It was renamed Bermuda Day in 1979, based on recommendations in the report by Lord Pitt in the wake of civil unrest in the 1970s. The celebration of island heritage includes a massive parade through the streets of Hamilton.