Are you visiting Belize from August 6th – 8th, 2015 but aren’t sure which destination you want to visit or what events there are to attend? Well don’t you worry; we have both the perfect destination and event for you – The International Costa Maya Festival being held on the beautiful island of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye! This 3-day Festival will be hosted at the Hon. Louis “Cuz” Sylvestre Sporting Arena and promises to be an event for the entire family to enjoy.
Launched in 1991 by the Ambergris Caye chapter of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the Sea and Air Festival, the event has since been renamed to the International Costa Maya Festival. Each night, the Festival stage lights up as local and international artists from all over the Americas merge to put on a multicultural spectacle of dance, music, pageants, food and drink; celebrating their ancestral Mayan culture. One of the premier highlights of the festival is the “La Reina de la Costa Maya Pageant,” that will see the participation of delegates from Central America – Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, vying for the title of “Reina de la Costa Maya” (Queen of the Mayan Coast).
This year’s events will take place from Thursday to Saturday and will feature performances by Belize and Mexico and the selection of the “Miss Reina de La Costa Maya International” on the first night. The grand opening on Friday (which is typically attended by local and foreign dignitaries), will feature Mexican & Belizean Cultural presentations followed by a live performance from international performing artist “El Chevo.” Saturday is known as “Noche Internacional” or International Night, and it is the biggest evening of the festival with performances by Belize, El Salvador and Guatemala and a grand musical performance by international entertainers, “Grupo Ladron.”
The festival also includes cookouts, beach volleyball, mechanical rides, football marathons, dances and a big all night fair; just to name a few.
Will you be attending this year’s International Costa Maya Festival? In case you need some more motivation, here are some highlights of pre-activities that have taken place so far:
Miss Belize Costa Maya – Samalia Vernon, when she arrived in San Pedro via Maya Island Air Belize.
Miss Mexico 2015 Delegate Samantha Gutíerrez Gónzalez-Rubio with reigning Miss Costa Maya International 2014 Elisa Espinosa Gomez.
Miss Costa Maya delegates enjoying their tropical mixed drinks.
Miss Belize Costa Maya – Samalia Vernon, having a laugh with a staff member of Rain Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace.
Miss Nicaragua resting on the Searious Adventures catamaran.
Miss Costa Rica in her Traditional Dress for “Noche San Pedrano.”
Miss El Salvador in her Traditional Dress for “Noche San Pedrano.”