Pirates Week 2026:
Dates, Events & How to Plan

The short answer

• Pirates Week 2026 runs on a staggered schedule: Cayman Brac 30–31 October, Grand Cayman 6–14 November, Little Cayman 20–21 November.
• The headline events are free: the pirate landing in George Town Harbour, the parades, the fireworks and the street celebrations. Some activities carry a small fee or need registration.
• The landing is the moment to catch: pirate vessels storm George Town Harbour and “capture” the city on Saturday 7 November, the same day as the Float Parade (4 pm) and the Opening Fireworks (8 pm). The landing time had not been listed yet.
• The full programme is out on piratesweek.com. Grand Cayman closes with the Trial of the Pirates, a street dance and the Closing Fireworks on Saturday 14 November; every event is listed below.
• Downtown George Town closes to traffic around the big events. Plan parking and taxis accordingly, and expect the harbourfront packed.
• 2026's theme is “Spirits, Gold & Glory”, with the night parade, song competition and t-shirt contest all returning.

2026 dates by island

The festival opens on Cayman Brac, runs its main nine-day stretch on Grand Cayman, and closes with a Little Cayman weekend, so it is possible to catch all three. The full 2026 events programme is on piratesweek.com and listed in full below.

Full 2026 programme

Every event on the official Pirates Week calendar, island by island, with times and places exactly as the official calendar lists them.

Grand Cayman

Cayman Brac

Little Cayman

* Not listed on the official programme as of 27 October 2026. We fill these in as the organisers publish them.

Source: the official calendar at piratesweek.com/events, checked 27 October 2026. Times can change, so check there on the day.

What Pirates Week actually is

The first Pirates Week was staged in 1977, when the Tourist and Visitors Bureau put a pirate landing on Hog Sty Bay and more than 3,000 people turned out to watch, about 18% of the 17,000 people living here at the time. In 2026 the festival marks its 49th year, and it is still two festivals wearing one costume. The pirate half is pure spectacle: a mock invasion re-enacting the islands' brushes with piracy (the historical record holds exactly three documented cases, all in the 18th century), costumed crews and a city that plays along. The other half is a genuine national heritage celebration of Caymanian music, food, dance and district traditions, run by the Cayman Islands Government as one of the country's premier national festivals. What began as one week in George Town is now a three-week national festival spanning all three islands.

You may also see recent editions billed as “Pirates Fest”. It is the same festival; the historic Pirates Week name is the one in official use for 2026.

The events that anchor the week

• The Pirate Landing. The signature event since the very first festival, when the pirates landed at Hog Sty Bay: a staged invasion of George Town. In 2026 it is on Saturday 7 November, the first Saturday of the Grand Cayman leg; the time and landing spot have not been listed yet, so check piratesweek.com before you go.
• The float parade. Decorated floats, marching bands and costumed crews through central George Town, family crowds lining the route. In 2026 it starts at 4 pm on Saturday 7 November on Seafarers Way.
• Fireworks over the harbour. Two waterfront shows in 2026, both at 8 pm on Seafarers Way: the Opening Fireworks on Saturday 7 November and the Closing Fireworks on Saturday 14 November, visible along Harbour Drive and the George Town waterfront.
• The night parade. Confirmed returning for 2026 by the Cayman Islands Government; the date has not been published yet.
• District Days. Each district hosts its own celebration of local cuisine, arts and performances, moving around the island through the week. This is the least touristy, most local part of the festival. In 2026 each district day runs 11 am to 11:30 pm: North Side (Mon 9 Nov), George Town (Tue 10), Bodden Town (Wed 11), West Bay (Thu 12) and East End (Fri 13).
• Everything else: the cardboard boat race, the 5K and sea swim, Gimistory storytelling sessions, the song competition and t-shirt contest, an underwater treasure hunt at Sunset House, a Children's Play Area and Teen Block Party, and street dances that run late.

Planning around it

Road closures. Central George Town closes to vehicles around the landing, parades and street dances. If you need the airport or a cross-town drive on event days, route around downtown and allow extra time. For 2026, expect closures around Seafarers Way and Cardinall Avenue on Saturday 7 and Saturday 14 November, where the parade, fireworks and street events are listed, and around Cardinall Avenue and Albert Panton Street on Tuesday 10 November for the George Town district day (both were closed for it in 2025). The police (RCIPS) publish the exact closures before the festival; we will add their notice here when it is out.

Parking near the waterfront effectively disappears on the big days. Park on the town's edge and walk in, or use a taxi; see our getting around guide for the realistic options.

With kids: the landing, parades and children's events are all family territory; the evening street parties are not. Bring water and shade for the landing: it is a long wait in full sun for a short, glorious invasion.

Visiting for it? Early November sits just past the statistical peak of hurricane season and right at the end of the low-season restaurant closures. By festival week, nearly everything has reopened, and conch season opens 1 November for good measure.