Fishermen's Day
Friday, July 3, 2026
Fishermen’s Day is a national holiday in the Marshall Islands that is observed every first Friday of July. As fishing has always been a key component of Marshall Islands’ economy, a special holiday was declared to honour local fishermen in 1982. In 2026, Fishermen’s Day falls on Friday 3 July. The holiday will be on Friday 2 July in 2027. In 1981, a group of billfish fishermen from Marshall Islands won the billfish fishing tournament held in Hawaii that year. The next year, 1982, that same group founded a fishing tournament at home in Marshall Islands. The date of the tournament was then immediately declared a public holiday. On the morning of the first Friday in July, fishermen head out to the seas to try to catch the biggest fish from any of a larger variety of species. After fishing all day, the fishermen come back to shore in the evening to have their catches weighed and measured. The winner in each category is then announced, and a big party breaks out.
History
Fishermen’s Day is a national holiday in the Marshall Islands that is observed every first Friday of July. In 1981, a group of billfish fishermen from Marshall Islands won the billfish fishing tournament held in Hawaii that year. The next year, 1982, that same group founded a fishing tournament at home in Marshall Islands. On the morning of the first Friday in July, fishermen head out to the seas to try to catch the biggest fish from any of a larger variety of species
How It's Celebrated
Fishermen’s Day is a national holiday in the Marshall Islands that is observed every first Friday of July. As fishing has always been a key component of Marshall Islands’ economy, a special holiday was declared to honour local fishermen in 1982. The holiday will be on Friday 2 July in 2027. The date