Spirits soared as locals and visitors alike came together yesterday to celebrate the much loved Good Friday holiday in Bermuda.

Huge crowds gathered at Horseshoe Bay Beach to take full advantage of the perfect kite-flying weather, while hundreds of people descended on St David’s Cricket Club for the annual Good Friday Gilbert Lamb Fun Day, which featured the popular Mohawk Grand Prix.

Celebrations in St David’s took a sour turn when a teenager was injured in a disturbance at 8.30pm, although police say the 18-year-old St George’s man refused medical treatment for his injuries.

However the islandwide theme for the day remained upbeat, with kites flying high above numerous beaches, fields and parks from St George’s to Somerset, family fun days hosted in the East and West, and residents packing out the “Jesus’s Walk to Calvary” in St George.

For one set of visitors, the kite-flying tradition at Horseshoe Bay Beach marked a trio of special occasions.

John Keayes and his wife Helen, from Sussex in England, lived in Bermuda more than 30 years ago and are back on the island as Mrs Keayes celebrated a special birthday yesterday.

They were travelling with Mr Keayes’s sister, Sue Hughes and her husband Rob, who will be turning 60 next week.

And their friends, Peter Thom and his wife Suzanne Thom, from Montreal in Canada, are celebrating their 30th anniversary.

“We decided to all come on the same week,” Mrs Hughes explained, and Mr Thom added: “It’s wonderful — it’s my first visit. I don’t want to go home.”

Mr Keayes used to work as a road engineer until they left the island in 1985 and he said: “It was just a great place.”

Horseshoe Bay Beach holds particularly fond memories for the 71-year-old, who was one of the co-founders of the Bermuda Sharks Swim Club, which is still active today.

“We’re just reminiscing,” he said, adding that they have already stopped by the houses they used to live in.

Val and Peter Horrobin, from Toronto in Canada, were celebrating their fifth Good Friday on the beach.

“It’s almost like the start of summer,” Mrs Horrobin said. “It’s the first time in the ocean for the children. It’s just so fun to see how exciting it is for the children.”

And Mr Horrobin said: “The kites make it such a unique event. Nowhere else in the world has such a cool tradition.”

The couple from Smith’s brought their sons, Liam, 2, and Nolan, 1, and Mrs Horrobin’s sister, who visited last year and enjoyed it so much she came back for more.

For Jared Hollis and his ten-year-old daughter Amelia Petty, spending Good Friday on the beach is also an annual tradition.

“It’s time to be with the family, have fun, be with friends and fly kites,” Mr Hollis, 32, said.

The pair, from Southampton, made traditional Bermuda kites the day before. Amelia picked pink, green and blue colours and said her favourite part was “decorating it”.

Peter Matcham has been making his own kites since he was 6 — a skill he has taken with him on his travels.

“I’ve made kites in France and New York,” he said, explaining that he got heavily involved with the kite competition when he attended Warwick Academy.

Mr Matcham was at the beach with his wife, Katie Matcham, their daughter Lilia, 7, and visiting friends. He had made their traditional kite for Lilia’s kite-flying day at school, and “it survived so I brought it down here”.

As the wind picked up and the sun shone, crowds began to swell around noon and Mark O’Connor, bar manager of Rum Bum beach bar, said the day had been going well.

“This is the first day that we are open for the season,” he said. “The kitchen is open.

“We’ve got the traditional food and the bar is open.”

The day marked the “soft opening” of the main access to the beach, which has been under construction.

Rick Olson, president of Chops Ltd, which operates the concession, remarked that even though the establishment was only open for the one day, it had been extremely busy.

Mr Olson, who was at the centre of a social-media controversy earlier this week [see sidebar], previously voiced concerns that the renovation project would adversely affect visitor experience as well as his business.

“It’s just been a waiting game,” he said, adding that the establishment is ready to open full-time but they are waiting for the construction to finish.

He said they hope to open fully at the start of May. To allow access to the beach, the main entrance was opened at 7.30am for one day only.

For one group of eager beachgoers, this meant a brief wait at the gates. Karla Aitken and a group of friends arrived early to create their extravagant seating area in the sand.

A tradition since about 2011, the group spent 2½ hours digging a circular bench complete with table. The impressive structure was adorned with flags that proved popular with tourists.

At the other end of the island, young people also got involved with kite flying and informal football games at the annual Good Friday Gilbert Lamb Fun Day, with numerous families setting up camp around the field, the stage was set for a day of community-driven fun. Bouncy castles, traditional food stalls and giveaways including free kites and candy contributed to an upbeat atmosphere.

St David’s Islanders spoke of their pride in their local spirit and made it clear they intended to enjoy one of the area’s most important days of the year.

Raykeisha Burgess, who was at the cricket club with her son Jyus and godson Daion, both aged 10, said: “It’s always good fun out here. Everyone from St David’s has always come along to fly their kites but we see people from all over the island as well so it makes for a good day.”

Carlo Douglas, also from St David’s, said: “I’ve been down here since I was 10 or 12 years old. I guess the highlight for many people is the go-karting but for me the most important thing is the community spirit.”

Another St David’s Islander, Tyrone Butterfield, said: “It’s great to see everyone getting together and having fun. That’s what this day is all about.”

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