Belize offers its visitors an eclectic and fun-filled calendar of cultural festivals and special Belize holidays spread throughout much of the year. The International Costa Maya Festival celebrates the ancient Mayan heritage on Ambergris Caye each August with dancing, music and parades. Each November the Garifuna Settlement Day showcases the unique culture of this essential Belizean group in Punto Gordo, and of course February’s Carnival is as fun as anywhere else in the Caribbean region.
San Pedro Carnival
A highlight of virtually every nation in the Caribbean region, Belize is no exception. Every February, the week before Lent, Ambergris Caye transforms into a huge street party with costumes, parades, music and all kinds of fun for kids and adults alike.
Baron Bliss Day
Baron Bliss Day honors one of Belize’s founding fathers with a regatta in the harbor next to the lighthouse where the man is buried. Horse races, cycle races and other fun events are scheduled in Belize City along the waterfront every 9 March.
San Jose Succotz Festival
Held to celebrate the patron saint of the town in Cayo District, San Jose Succotz is one of the more down-to-earth cultural festivals in Belize. It blends the traditional marimba music, dance and food of the mountainous interior every April.
Cashew Festival
A great excuse to spend a day or two in one of Belize’s top national parks, Crooked Tree Wildlife Reserve is the setting for Cashew Festival every May. The park’s Creole village shows off the amazing cashew in ways you can only dream of, adding to the overall scene.
Toledo Cacao Fest
Showcasing the enduring enchantment of chocolate for three days in the middle of May, arts and crafts complement the informative side of Toledo Cacao Fest that teaches how the ancient Maya used the cacao bean for many purposes.
Lobsterfest
June 14-19 is a chance to indulge in this sumptuous sea creature in every manner imaginable. Coastal communities all along Belize’s coast like Placencia, San Pedro and Caye Caulker all put on a fun day of eating lobster, drinking and having a good time on the beach.
International Costa Maya Festival
One of the premier cultural events in Belize every August, for a week San Pedro brings the heritage of the Maya to Ambergris Caye for an extravaganza of cultural performances, parades and the nation’s top beauty pageant.
Garifuna Settlement Day
Celebrating the arrival of this special ethnic Caribbean group to the southern coast of Belize in 1832, this annual event happens only in the southern towns of Belize like Punta Gordo every November 19.It’s a great chance to see more of this important component of the nation’s ethnic diversity.
PanAmerican Day
PanAmerican Day honors the Mestizo culture of Belize in Corozal and Orange Walk with revelry, music, dancing, parades and some serious partying every October 9th. Horse races and all kinds of fun run for a week in both towns.