| Foundation Day | |
|---|---|
 The Norfolk Island convict settlement today | |
| Observed by | Norfolk Island |
| Type | Local |
| Significance | Date of landing of the first European settlers in 1788 |
| Observances | re-enactment ceremony |
| Date | 6 March |
| Next time | 6 March 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Australia Day, Western Australia Day |
Foundation Day is an annual public holiday in Norfolk Island commemorating the arrival of the original British settlers on 6 March 1788.[1]
Because the United States stopped accepting convicts from Britain after gaining independence, Britain needed new penal colonies. London thus commissioned Captain Arthur Phillip to head a group of 11 ships, known as the First Fleet, to do just that and establish a new penal colony in New South Wales.
After the First Fleet's landing in New South Wales, Captain Phillip instructed Lieutenant Philip Gidley King to take a small team of convicts and free men to colonise Norfolk Island. They reached the uninhabited island on 6 March 1788.[1]
Each year on Foundation Day, local residents gather at the beach in Kingston and re-enact the arrival of the First Fleeters. They put on costumes to dress up as British sailors and row boats.[2]
