Garifuna Settlement Day

Garifuna Settlement Day is one of the most famous festivals in Belize. It commemorates the Garifuna people's landing on Belize's beaches on November 19, 1802. This event is observed across Belize throughout the full week, but mainly in Dangriga, where the first Garifuna people arrived.

On Garifuna Settlement Day, parades, live music, drumming, dancing, and prayers are all part of the week-long celebration of Garifuna Settlement Day. The initial Garifuna landing is reenacted, with boats arriving on the beach bearing cassava stalks, plantain suckers, and sugarcane, reflecting the food the Garifuna people brought with them.

Traditional Garifuna delicacies such as serre (coconut milk-baked fish), hudut (mashed plantain), and cassava in various forms are also a big part of the festivities.

Date: November 19th