Carnival Road procession in Belize; credit Belize Tourism Board
Belize Festivals
This is a section of of the many great annual festivals in Belize.
Fiesta de Carnaval
February: Fiesta de Carnaval, or the Belize Carnival, is held the week before Lent begins. The biggest celebrations arein San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, and feature a traditional flour fight where everyone gets doused in flour. Singing, dancing, parades are non-stop. There’s lots of face-painting painting. Wear something that you don’t mind getting coated with colorful powder.
Easter Week
Easter in Belize is a weeklong holiday where visitors can expect nationwide shutdowns as Belizeans attend religious services and take family trips from Good Friday through Easter Monday. Many towns and cities across Belize feature special reenactments of the crucifixion, the most famous and colorful of which takes place in the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen in western Belize. Additionally, a cross-country cycling expedition is held over Easter week each year.
Belize Lobster Festivals
June and July: Belize loves lobsters and other seafood, with great lobster festivals across the country featuring kabobs, and fresh-out-of-the-shell lobsters along with music, dancing, pina coladas, and other fresh cocktails and snacks. Lobster season starts with San Pedro Lobsterfest, then goes Placencia Lobsterfest and finally Caye Caulker Lobsterfest. This is a bucket-list event any lobster lover.
Belize Independence Day
September 21: Belize partying to commemorates independence from England in 1981 with a series of colorful parades, processions, and events. Another great event to check out on this day of celebration is The Expo, a very large event featuring local vendors, singing and dancing.
Garifuna Settlement Day
November 19: Started by Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941, this annual civil rights holiday centers around the city of Dangriga where the people who were exiled from the Grenadines by the British army sought refuge.Mostly concentrated in Belize’s Garifuna settlements, Garifuna Settlement Day celebrates the 1832 arrival of the Garinagu people in Dangriga. The drumming is non-stop along with a variety of live punta music.
For specific event dates, go to the https://www.travelbelize.org.
