As the 2026 Anguilla Summer Festival draws near, with a scheduled start date of Friday July 10th, the launch of a unique Summer Festival Passport took place on Wednesday, June 24th at the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority (ASPA) conference room.
AASPA’s CEO, Sherman Williams, was so impressed with the new passport idea that he secured the first 100 for his staff.
Mr. Williams praised the developers of the initiative, Festivals Chairman FitzRoy “Briggy” Tomlinson, as well as Wil Jno-Baptiste, the Principal of the tech-company Evolute, who designed and produced the passport.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for AASPA to be the first entity to embrace the Festivals Passport to support Summer Festival,” Mr. Williams said. “It is a great way to showcase Anguilla’s premier cultural event. AASPA has long been a supporter and beneficiary of the Anguilla Summer Festival, and it is befitting that we can bring these two endeavors together.”
Mr. Tomlinson expressed his gratitude to AASPA for its early support of the new initiative. “We sincerely thank AASPA for believing in this concept and for becoming the first organization to provide financial support for the Summer Festival Passport initiative.”
The Summer Festival Passport is designed to generate revenue for the Anguilla Festivals Development Commission, while rewarding those who attend the Festival activities – bearing their passports – with a chance to win a US$10,000 grand prize.
The price of a Summer Festival Passport is US$50.00, and as long as patrons take their passports with them to the events, their identities will be recorded in a data base, and they will have a chance to win the coveted US$10,000 prize. This means that the more events one attends throughout the Festivals season, the greater will be the chances to win.
According to Mr. Tomlinson, it is important to understand that being in possession of a Summer Festival Passport does not mean that one is entitled to attend the Festivals invents. Instead, the passport acts as a sort a raffle ticket through which the grand prize can be won.
Anguilla Festivals Development Commission’s CEO, Ms. Amber Woodley, described the Summer Festival Passport as an innovative way of engaging residents and visitors while supporting the Festival’s future. “This is an exciting new day for residents and visitors to connect with the festival while contributing to its long-term sustainability,” Ms. Woodley said.
Being in possession of a Summer Festival Passport encourages participation across multiple Anguilla Summer Festival events, and it gives patrons a likely opportunity to be rewarded for celebrating Anguilla’s culture.
By: James R. Harrigan
