Guide to Belize National Holidays, Events and Festivals in Belize

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The big national holidays are dictated by the Roman Catholic calendar, but other celebrations include the wonderfully titled Baron Bliss Day, which honors a philanthropic British nobleman who fell in love with Belize and, upon his death, willed the bulk of his fortune in trust to its people.

(on the left, Costa Maya Beauties)

Belize National Day commemorates the Battle of St George's Caye; celebrations continue until Independence Day. More festivities occur on Day of the Americas and Garifuna Settlement Day. The latter commemorates the arrival of the Garifuna (or Garinagu, also called Black Caribs) in dugout canoes from Honduras in 1832.

Holidays

IT IS NOTIFIED for general information that the following is a revised list of Public & Bank Holidays during the year 2008

1.	Jan	Tu	New Year’s Day
10.	Mar	Mo	Baron Bliss Day (in lieu of Sunday, 9th March)
21.	Mar	Fr	Good Friday
22.	Mar	Sa	Holy Saturday
24.	Mar	Mo	Easter Monday
1.	May	Th	Labour Day
26.	May	Mo	Sovereign’s Day (in lieu of Saturday, 24th May)
10.	Sep	We	National Day
22.	Sep	Mo	Independence Day (in lieu of Sunday, 21st September)
13.	Oct	Mo	Pan American Day (in lieu of Sunday, 12th October)
19.	Nov	We	Garifuna Settlement Day
25.	Dec	Th	Christmas Day
26.	Dec	Fr	Boxing Day

The List of the Public & Bank Holidays during the year 2009, will follow in December 2008.

Events

A Schedule of Belizean Events year-round. The top seasonal events for Belize are listed below, and any one of them could provide the stuff of lasting memories. If you want your visit to coincide with one of these occasions, be sure to plan well in advance or use the calender on the bottom of this Page.

Please check the Dates in Local Newspapers. Dates may be change on weather conditions.

January New Years Day Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day

February Fiesta de Carnaval: Nationwide celebrations and dance competition one week before lent. International Bullfish Tournament: Belize Game Fish Assoc. San Pedro Carnival: Fun in the Sun on La isla Bonita.

March Annual Agricultural & Trade Show Held in Belmopan, Orange Walk Town and nearby Chan Pine Ridge every two years. Livestock, handicrafts, traditional costumes and dances. Baron Bliss Day: Celebrations held nationwide to honor this great benefactor of Belize. Harbor regatta is held in front of the lighthouse where he was buried. Horse and cycle races are also held. Trade & Livestock Show: Held in Belmopan at the National Agricultural Showgrounds every other year, the last weekend in March. Features rodeo.
Baron Bliss Henry	Annual Agricultural Show
April Good Friday in Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker Special Catholic Church services. Beginning at 3p.m. most villagers participate in procession carrying the cross through town. Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic: Bicycle race in Belize City, continues on Western Highway , Circles around park in San Ignacio and returns to a dramatic finale in Belize City. International participation. San Jose Succotz Fiesta: Local fair celebrating the day of their patron saint. Entertainment for kids, rides, food, marimba music.

May Labour Day: 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. Cashew Festival: Crooked Tree Village. Cayo Expo:San Ignacio. Displays of local crafts and products. Coconut Festival Caye Caulker. Food, beverages, crafts. Parade with prize for floats. Sovereign’s 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 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 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. BETEX (Belize Tourism Expo) Belize's first trade show. Theme is "The Ecological Destination of the 21st Century.

August Deer Dance Festival San Antonio, Toledo District Week-long celebrations. Historical reenactments, costumes, homemade harps and violins. International Costa Maya Festival in San Pedro
Int. Costa Maya Festival
September St. Georges Caye Day - 10th of September Independence Day! September 21st Numerous cultural, religious and sporting activities held a couple of weeks before St. George's Caye Day. Flag-raising ceremonies, parades, street jump-ups, music, dance and foods. Crowning of Miss San Pedro. Mexican National Day: Orange Walk and Corozal towns people cross over into Mexico to reunite with families and have celebrations. St. George's Caye Day: 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.

October Belikin Spectacular: Billfish tournament with spectacular prizes. Sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association. Columbus Day (Pan American Day) Regatta racing in Belize City. Hike & Bike for the Rain Forest: A two-day cross-country run and mountain bike race. Local and International athletes will compete throughout the Cayo area for the benefit of the rain forest. 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 Garifuna Settlement Day! Festival, mainly in the southern most areas of the country to mark the first arrival of the Garifuna in 1832 in Dangriga. Stann Creek Agricultural Fair: Exhibits of livestock and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Garifuna Settlement Day
December Christmas Eve: Midnight mass all over town. Christmas Day: Merry Christmas... Kwanzaa! Dec 26th - A holiday celebrated by many black American-belizean. Boxing Day: Parties, dances , horse races and some Garifuna dances are performed.

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