In Belize, the Lobster Festival is annually celebrated in the three locations of San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and Placencia. Here, visitors and locals from far and wide come together to feast on these delicious crustaceans! Not to mention, also enjoy nearly a month full of entertainment across the three locations. The opening of the Lobster season is used as one way to generate business during a traditionally slower time for tourism. After all, Belize’s blue skies, tropical breeze, sunshine, and seasonal lobster are just a few of the many great reasons to visit Belize during the summer! Here are all three of the Belize Lobster Festivals happening this year in 2022, from lobster crawls to dance parties and games.
Ambergris Caye Lobster Festival: June 30 – July 9
Live entertainment, including performances, are common during Belize's Lobster Fests. Image by SanPedroScoop.com
Lobster folks get into the mood on Ambergris Caye during its festival. Image by SanPedroScoop.com
As the longest celebrated of the three festivals, the Ambergris Caye Lobster Fest officially kicks off on June 30 with a lionfish hunt, ahead of the official countrywide opening of the Spiny Lobster 2022-2023 season as of 12:01 am on July 1. Next up, a slew of Lobster Crawl events. With every day being a new locale hosting lobster-centric activities both day and night, pick any (or all) of the destinations to herald in the season with tasty specials, live music, and even prizes. 
After all, San Pedro is just an hour and a half’s boat ride (or 20-minute puddle-jumper) flight away from Belize City. It’s not often you’ll see the island buzzing this much outside of the high season, but Central Park comes alive with a Block Party as dusk settles in—the culmination of the Ambergris Caye Lobster Fest. Expect butter-burnt charred grills, whiffs of fragrant garlic, tropical cocktails, and lots of punta, reggeaton, and soca beats from towering speakers—after nine days of celebrating this tasty crustacean, you should be a pro in all of Ambergris Caye’s island flavors!
Details on the San Pedro Lobster Fest found here.
Caye Caulker Lobster Festival: July 1-3
It's paint and powder at Caye Caulker's Lobster Fest. Image via Belize Tourism Board
Measuring only about 5 miles long, it’s not hard to find the party on Caye Caulker for its 2022 Lobster Fest! Make your way down to the Palapa Gardens where the “Go Slow” lifestyle embedded in every (barefoot) local becomes irresistible here at the festival base, as do the grilled lobster kebabs. Barbeque grills line off and delivery drivers take their two-feet-turbo to hand-deliver a split Spiny Lobster slathered with curry paste and grilled to a fiery-red-shell perfection; underneath, Belizean rice and beans become the perfect vessels to sop up all its buttery gravy.
Caye Caulker Lobster Fest. Image by Island Bway Photography
Founded in 1992 as the oldest of all three events, the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest typically kicks off with the Miss Lobster Fest Pageant on Friday, where onlookers and community supporters break out into an after-party once a Queen is crowned. Although on Saturday, the dancing continues with a beach party and a full roster of performances and family-friendly games; Saturday is considered the ‘main night event’ of the 3-day food festival.
On Sunday, live local entertainment continues, keeping everyone delighted all day long on the beach. But because 2022 is essentially a fresh start, schedule possibilities are endless! Created to celebrate the deep-fishing roots of Caye Caulker, the community donates a percentage of festival profits back into the pool for other community projects.
Spend the weekend getting paint-and-powder ready for Saturday’s Color Explosion Beach Fete, or simply indulge in lobster (and the love of Caye Caulker’s community) until your ‘glad bag bust’ (a.k.a. your joy overflows). You say have a whale of a time, we say lobster tail of a time in Belize—guaranteed when you’ve got a rum punch in hand. Get there on July 1-3, 2022 via a 45-minute boat ride or an even quicker 15-minute flight.
Details on the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest found here.
Placencia Lobster Festival: July 15 -17, 2022
Placencia Lobsterfest 2019. Photo by Kevin Quischan (Belize My Travels)
Photo by Kevin Quischan Photography
Photo by Belizemytravels
Photo by @belizemytravels
Bare feet? Check. Big appetite? Check. Competitive spirit? Check. The only Lobster Fest in Belize you can take your own wheels to (that is unless you own a plane), the Placencia Lobster Festival takes place mid-July from the 15-17, 2022. Here, Placencia really dives deep into the participation of attendees with a roster of mini-events. Think a rubber duck race (whose funds benefit the local Rotary), Mr. & Mrs. Physique from the crowd, hot wings contests, tug of war, the Tipsy Tuna toss, and more.
-
- Photo by Kevin Quischan Photography
And because the village has strong fishing roots, the Lobster Fest wagers for the best of the best there too; there’s a race to reel the first kayak in (did we mention a person is inside?), a cast net competition to catch a shilling coin in the sand, and impeccably aiming to land your fly-fishing fly in the center of a circle drawn in the sand. Either way, entertainment is never far away from the cozy atmosphere of Placencia Village.
Details on the Placencia Lobster Fest found here.
All other images are courtesy of Kevin Quischan Photography (@BelizeMyTravels).
