St. George's Caye Day is one of the most important state holidays in the country, often called Belize's National Day. This holiday, which is always celebrated on September 10th, commemorates a victory of Belizeans over Spaniards, which took place at St. George's Caye in 1798.
Thousands of people take to the streets all over Belize to celebrate this historic victory with parades, various performances, fireworks, music, and dances. Vibrant carnival parades with floats ornamented by Belizean national symbols take center stage in Belize City and San Ignacio. In San Pedro, the main highlight of the festivities is the crowning of Miss San Pedro.
The Battle of St. George’s Caye lasted for about a week off the coast of Belize, when the Royal Spanish Navy tried to defeat the Baymen, who were mostly pirates of British and other European nationalities that settled in the Belize City area and often attacked passing Spanish ships. However, the Spanish army, consisting of 32 ships and over 2,000 troops, couldn't beat the Baymen, so they abandoned their efforts to take over Belize. This country is, therefore, the only predominantly English-speaking nation in Central America.
