BELIZE LOBSTER FESTIVAL 2008 - PLACENCIA, CAYE CAULKER & SAN PEDRO
By: Alex Gamero
What a great idea. An entire festival lasting 3 days, in 3 different towns to celebrate one of the most delicious foods on earth - lobster! Dozens of food vendors set up tents along the beach and streets serving up secret family recipes of fresh lobster. You can find it grilled, fried, stewed, boiled and covered in a variety of spices and sauces. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Imagine walking down the beach and every food stand is serving fresh lobster cooked in every conceivable form. Now add to the great food, live bands playing good music, the beach, great weather, tropical drinks and you have yourself one hell of a party. Or as we Belizeans call it, a "bash". Always present is the big Belikin Beer tent (the beer of Belize), serving up ice-cold beers all day. Quaint beach bars open up their doors serving rum and other tropical mixes. Music is blasting from every direction. During the day you’ll have live bands playing Calypso, Garifuna and Reggae. At night, there are different dances where you can move your hips to the rhythm of Punta, Soca and Dancehall. The summer months bring great weather so it’s hot and humid – perfect for a party.
MSNBC rates Belize’s Lobster Fest as one of the greatest food festivals in the world! "In June, kick off lobster season with Belize’s annual Lobster Festival, held first in Placencia, then on Caye Caulker. Each celebration lasts three days, and everyone from the villages comes out to celebrate. Whatever tourists who happen to be around reap the benefits of this spotlight on crustaceans. (Warning: napkins not included.)"
Every year, for the past decade, the towns of Placencia and Caye Caulker have organized these festivals to celebrate the opening of the lobster season, which is when local fishermen can begin catching lobster for the year. San Pedro joined the celebrations just last year throwing their first Lobster Fest, which was quite a success. These 3 places were traditional fishing towns before tourism became a significant industry in Belize. The locals have not forgotten their roots and still celebrate their fishing heritage. In fact the festival also commemorates Fisherman’s Day with a fishing tournament where local fishermen and visiting anglers test their skills on the sea. They leave at the crack of dawn in hunt of big fish. By the time they return just after noon the party is in full swing and crowds of onlookers gather around as the fishermen proudly display their prized catches. And for the fishermen who didn't win, there is no shortage of excuses as to why they missed the big one. Competition brings out the best and most colorful excuses.
Fishermen are not the only ones who get to compete in these festivals. Children also get to participate in a variety of games such as dance contests, balloon toss and sack race. And food and beer vendors are not the only ones lining the beach and streets either, you’ll find a variety of tents selling everything from souvenirs to Belizean products like Marie Sharp’s famed pepper sauces. You’ll also find tents representing different organizations including the local Village Council and various conservation groups like the Audubon Society and Friends of Nature. In fact, one of the main reasons for these festivities, aside from celebrating lobster, is fund raising for these non-profit organizations.
This celebration has something for everyone. Belizeans from all over the country flock to Lobster Fest for great food and a lot of fun. In the past, travelers were not a big part of them. Only visitors who had booked their trip for that particular week, without knowing about the festivities, were pleasantly surprised. But today Lobster Fest is being promoted more outside of Belize and more travelers with a taste for lobster and culture are planning their trip around this annual event. This is your chance to visit one of Belize’s most beautiful beach destinations and enjoy Belizean culture in all its glorious colors. Overall it’s a fun and care-free event for everyone to enjoy. Of course, you also get all the lobster you can eat!
Here are the dates for the 2008 Lobster Festivals:
