Calendar / Garifuna Settlement Day
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Witness / Attend in Dangriga
Garifuna Settlement Day
Nov 19, 2026ConfirmedGarifuna Settlement Day 2026
No organizer, no ticket office. This is a living tradition, and the way in is simply to be there; guides get you inside it.
Dates & details verified against: National tourism board ↗
Why go
Garifuna Settlement Day on 19 November is the defining event of Belize's Caribbean culture, and Dangriga is its heart. It marks the arrival of the Garifuna on Belize's southern shores in the early 1800s, after their exile from the island of St Vincent, first commemorated here by the activist Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941 and made a national public holiday in 1977. The day peaks at dawn, when crowds gather on the beach to watch a reenactment of the landing: dugout boats come ashore carrying cassava, plantains and drummers, met by singing and the deep pulse of Garifuna drums. What follows is a day of street parades, punta dancing, church services and family feasts of hudut and cassava bread. There is no ticket and no single organiser. You come to Dangriga, join the crowd on the sand before sunrise, and move with the town through the day.
When it runs
A fixed national public holiday on 19 November every year, centred on Dangriga. Upcoming: 19 November 2026 (confirmed); 19 November 2027 (fixed by statute).
- Nov 19, 2026ConfirmedGarifuna Settlement Day 2026
- Nov 19, 2027ExpectedGarifuna Settlement Day 2027
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
A fixed national public holiday on 19 November each year, with the main gathering at dawn on the Dangriga beachfront followed by daytime parades and music. The days on either side are busy across the whole southern coast. November falls at the tail of the wet season, so expect warm, humid weather and possible showers. Accommodation in Dangriga books out well ahead for the holiday.
Getting there & around
Dangriga is about a two hour drive south from Belize City, or a short flight to the town airstrip. The dawn reenactment happens on the town beachfront and the parades fill the main streets, all walkable. Rooms in Dangriga sell out for Settlement Day, so book early or base in nearby Hopkins, which also drums hard through the holiday, and travel in for the day.
Where it happens
Dangriga, Belize.
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