Belize Calendar of Events

Belize is host to a variety of cultural festivals and national events the year round. Listed below is a synopsis, by month, of events happening in Belize. Plan your trip to coincide with these national and local events.

MONTH BY MONTH DESCRIPTION OF HOLIDAYS AND EVENTS
(Actual dates of the following events may vary from year to year).

JANUARY

1st - New Year's Day (Public holiday)

FEBRUARY
Fiesta de Carnaval	Exciting yearly event celebrated nationwide which brings back traditions. Groups compete in comparsas (special dances). Held one week before Lent.
International Bullfish Tournament	Prize of $50,000 to angler landing blue marlin over 500 pounds. Sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association.
San Pedro Carnival	Ambergris Caye. Slowly evolving from slapstick fun using powder, flour, lipstick and paint to tease people, to a more traditional Mestizo carnival made up of competing comparas.

MARCH
4th - Annual Agricultural & Trade Show (Trade/Agricultural)	Held in Belmopan, Orange Walk Town and nearby Chan Pine Ridge every two years. Livestock, handicrafts, traditional costumes and dances.
8th - 11th - La Ruta maya Belize River Challenge (Sporting)	Race starts in San Ignacio, Cayo District (along the Macal and Belize Rivers) and arrives in Belize City. This race is a grueling multi-day canoe race.
9th - Baron Bliss Day (Community Events- Nationwide)	Celebrations held nationwide to honor this great benefactor of Belize, Henry Victor Edward Bliss. Harbor regatta is held in front of the lighthouse where he was buried. Horse and cycle races are also held.
12th - San Cas Belmopan Cycling Classic (Sporting)	Cycle racing.
20th - Tourism Awareness Week (National Event)	A week of appreciation to the tourists who visit Belize. Demonstration of appreciation, giveaways and special welcome at all bordering points and Marine Terminal.
29th - Good Friday (Public holiday)	Special Catholic church services are held this day which most villagers participate in procession carrying the cross through town.
30th - Holy Saturday (Public holiday)	Public and bank holiday. The annual cross-county bicycle race is held on this day in Belize City. The course extends from Belize City, continues on Western Highway, circles around San Ignacio and returns to a dramatic finale in Belize City, a total distance of 144 miles. International participation.
31st - Easter Sunday	Public holiday

APRIL
1st - Easter Monday (Sporting)	Horse and bicycle races held throughout the country.
San Jose Succotz Fiesta	Local fair celebrating the day of their patron saint. Entertainment for kids, rides, food, marimba music.

MAY
1st - Labour Day (Public holiday)	Address by the Minister of Labour or a representative, followed by parades and rallies held throughout the country. Kite contest, cycle race, harbor regatta, horse race. Activities include horse races in Burrel Boom and Orange Walk Town and the BWU Labor Cycling Classic.
25th - National Agricultural & Trade Show(Trade/Agricultural)	Held annually in Belmopan, highlights agricultural diversification. (Food, rodeo, livestock, handicraft displays, music, games, and more food.)
26th - Placencia Mountain Bike Classic (Sporting)	Cycle racing in PlacenciaCashew Festival Crooked Tree Village. Celebrating the cashew harvest season. Live punt music, cashew wine, Caribbean-style dishes, games, folklore stories.
Cayo Expo	San Ignacio. Displays of local crafts and products. Sample local foods.
Coconut Festival	Caye Caulker. Food, beverages, crafts. Parade with prize for floats, coconut competition, dancing.
Commonwealth Day	Celebrated nationwide as the Queen's birthday. National Sports Council holds horse races in Belize City at the National Stadium and in Orange Walk Town at the People's Stadium. Cycle races are held between Cayo and Belmopan.
Toledo Festival of Arts	Week-long festivals in which school children depict various cultural groups in the district through drama and music. Arts and crafts exhibition includes basketry, paintings, clay sculpture, seashells and calabash vessels.

JUNE
21st - Placencia LobsterFest (Family/Festivals)	Local lobster festival held in the village of Placencia to celebrate the start of lobster season. Booths featuring lobster products and food, games, fishing tournament and concert.
29th - Dia de San Pedro	Three-day festival honoring St. Peter, the patron saint of San Pedro. Early morning boat parade. Boats and fishermen are blessed, a special mass is held and and a fiesta/jump-up follows.

JULY
1st - Caye Caulker Lobster Fest (Family/Festivals)	Caye Caulker's Lobster Festival marks the opening of the lobster season. A variety of lobster dishes are prepared. Bicycle Race, live music and much much more.
14th - Benque Viejo del Carmen Fiesta	Local fair. Celebrates the day of their patron saint with cultural shows, marimba bands, food and games. Nine days of prayer.

AUGUST
8th - San Joaquin Torch (Sporting)	Traveling from Bacalar and Chetumal, a torch arrives in San Joaquin. The first novena of the begins. This signals the upcoming San Joaquin Fiesta on the 14th of August.
14-16th - San Joaquin Fiesta (Family/Festivals)	The annual fiesta celebrating their Catholic Patron Saint and the vitality of the community. The day starts with cultural presentations and a Holy Mass. The night moves with an all night dance celebration. (Hand made costumes, arts and crafts, food.
15-20th - International Costa Maya Festival (Family/Festivals)	San Pedro's International Costa Maya Festival (formerly The Sea & Air Festival) is the highlight of Ambergris Caye's entertainment of each year. This five day event includes hundreds of entertainers from the Mundo Maya countries of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, as well as Belize. Activities: Parades, music, dancing, delicious food, La Reina de la Costa Maya, and contests of many varieties.
16th - Deer Dance Festival	San Antonio, Toledo District Week-long celebrations. Historical reenactments, costumes, homemade harps and violins.

SEPTEMBER
10th - National Day of Prayer / St. George's Caye Day Public Holiday	Festival held in honor of the Battle of St. George's Caye where the Spanish were driven from the area for good in 1798. Street festivals are held nation wide which include food, live music, and a reenactment on the actual site. Celebrates and commemorates a battle in 1798 when the Spanish were defeated by slaves, Baymen and British soldiers. Around the country similar official ceremonies and parades take place. Carnivals, sporting activities, fire engine parade, and pop concerts held several days prior to this event.
13th - Santino's Cycling Classic (Sporting)	Cycle race in Belize City. (16 laps from Albert Street to Regent Street)
14th - Carnival - Then, Now and Tomorrow Family/Festivals	Different sections of the carnival will be depicting various aspects of the theme. The Carnival march ( September 14th ) will start off at 3:00 p.m. this year to both avoid the heat of midday and to allow carnival to finish in the nighttime so as to display the lights on the bigger costumes.
21st - Independence Day (Public Holiday)	Numerous cultural, religious, and sporting events are held from the beginning of September up to Independence Day including the Queen of the Bay and Miss Belize beauty pageants as well as the Festival Grand Market in Belize City. On the night of the 20th a flag raising ceremony takes place at midnight to bring the 21st. On the 21st a parade is held with local bands playing on the beds of trucks followed by people dancing, locally known as jump-up. After the parade a street festival takes place where the two main streets in Belize City are completely blocked off and live bands perform. There is traditional Belizean cuisine, music, dance and cultural displays.
Mexican National Day	Orange Walk and Corozal towns people cross over into Mexico to reunite with families and have celebrations.

OCTOBER
7-9th - Belikin Spectacular (Sporting)	Annual fishing competition of Blue or White Marlins sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association.
Pan American Day	Orange Walk and Corozal . Fiestas and beauty contest to celebrate Mestizo culture. Horse and cycle races.
Tourism Week	Activities include silent and Dutch auction, grand vacation raffle drawing and fair.

NOVEMBER
19th Garifuna Settlement Day(Public holiday)	Festival to mark the arrival of the first Garifuna to Belize in 1832. Most activities take place in the southern region, mainly Dangriga which has the largest population of Garifuna people in Belize. There is traditional Garifuna and Belizean food, live punta music, games, and Jonkunu Dancers.
Stann Creek Agricultural Fair	Exhibits of livestock and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

DECEMBER
24th - Christmas Eve (Community Events)	Midnight mass all over town.
25th - Christmas Day	Public Holiday
26th - Boxing Day(Community Events)	Taken from the British, this holiday was originally a British custom. There are parties, dances and horse races and some Garifuna dances performed.