Peat Cutting Monday

Peat Cutting Day is a public holiday in the Falkland Islands that is celebrated on the first Monday in October every year.^[1]

Peat Cutting Day
Falkland Islanders shovelling peat in the 1950s
Official name	Peat Cutting Day
Also called	Peat Cutting Day
Observed by	Falkland Islands
Type	public holiday
Observances	Peat cutting, fishing, camping
Date	First Monday in October
2024 date	October 7  (2024-10-07)
2025 date	October 6  (2025-10-06)
2026 date	October 5  (2026-10-05)
2027 date	October 4  (2027-10-04)
Frequency	annual

Background

Traditionally, Peat Cutting Day was the time of year when Falkland Islanders went out to cut cubes of surface-soil peat which was then used as the primary fuel for heating homes and cooking food in the islands.^[2] In 2002, the Executive Council of the Falkland Islands made it an official public holiday to be celebrated on the first Monday in October every year, replacing Falklands Day, which had been celebrated in August.^[3]

Little peat cutting takes place in modern times, with the Islanders instead using the day to go fishing and camping.^[4]