Bounty Day

June 8 is Norfolk's constitution in celebration: Bounty Day marks the 1856 arrival of the Pitcairn families with the descendants' procession - period dress from bonnets to broadcloth, family banners ordered by the founding surnames - walking Kingston's foreshore from pier to cenotaph and church, then the great communal picnic within the ruins' precinct where hymns, wreaths and the families' tables carry the identity forward. Visitors watch warmly from the route's edges and may join where invited; the day's protocol belongs to the descendants, and its welcome - like the island's - extends exactly as far as respect earns. Descendants of the Bounty settlers still make up a large share of the island's population.

What to look for

• The period procession - surnames and broadcloth on the foreshore.
• The pier-to-church walk - the arrival re-enacted.
• The ruins picnic - the community's table in the precinct.
• The hymns and wreaths - identity carried in order.

When to go

June 8 annually - book the island's beds well ahead; the anniversary weeks add related events.

Good to know

This is the community's day first - spectate respectfully, photograph with courtesy, and join only by invitation's grace.

Nearby

Kingston's heritage precinct entire.