For holidaymakers, it’s best to plan ahead with Belize’s public and bank holidays in mind — mostly because certain services and businesses will be closed completely. Not limited to just Belize, the Caribbean has a slew of public and bank holidays celebrated throughout the year, and it’s welcomed joyously for almost every other month of the year. In Belize, nine of the 12 months of the year celebrate at least one holiday. Besides the universal holidays, like Christmas and New Year’s Day, we celebrate a few more unique to our country and region. Below, find the list of Belize’s public and bank holidays scheduled for 2022.
Belize’s Public & Bank Holidays 2022
Saturday, January 1
New Year's Day
Saturday, January 15
George Price Day
Monday, March 7
National Heroes and Benefactors Day (in lieu of Wednesday, 9th March)
Friday, April 15
Good Friday
Saturday, April 16
Holy Saturday
Monday, April 18
Easter Monday
Monday, May 2
Labour Day (in lieu of Sunday, May 1)
Monday, August 1
Emancipation Day
Saturday, September 10
St. George's Caye Day
Wednesday, September 21
Independence Day
Monday, October 10
Indigenous Peoples' Resistance Day (in lieu of Wednesday, October 12)
Saturday, November 19
Garifuna Settlement Day
Sunday, December 25
Christmas Day
Monday, December 26
Boxing Day
National Heroes and Benefactors Day
Originally celebrated as Baron Bliss Day on March 9, this public and bank holiday in Belize was renamed National Heroes and Benefactors Day in 2008 to honor all national patrons. Previously, it was named after the British-born Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss; Bliss willed nearly two million Belize dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of the then colony of British Honduras.
Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day
While 2022 will be the first year Belize recognizes it as a public and bank holiday, Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day will be celebrated as the second Monday in October; this list was recently republished on November 17 as Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day, a change from El Día de la Raza. Due to the controversy surrounding the word “La Raza”, countries like Venezuela coined the term “Día de la Resistencia Indígena” to highlight the resistance of the Indigenous people and their refusal to yield to the imposition of European culture.
Emancipation Day
On August 1, Caribbean nations commemorate Emancipation Day, marking the 1834 abolition of slavery in the British Empire and the 1838 abolition of apprenticeship, a system that forced formerly enslaved people to continue to work uncompensated for their former masters. After all, emancipation was not a gift, with many not receiving it until nearly a century later. The first country in the world to observe a public holiday for Emancipation Day was Trinidad and Tobago when Emancipation Day replaced Discovery Day in 1985.
St. George’s Caye Day
A pivotal event in Belizean History, The Battle of St. George’s Caye solidified Belize (British Honduras at the time) as a British Settlement and Colony.
Source: Government of Belize Press Office, updated as of November 17.
