The main events happened Sunday all day and went right into Monday to bring in the morning. A parade was scheduled for 1pm on Sunday and we really didn’t know what to expect since this would be our first experience with this holiday. Around 2pm my friend and I took some bikes out to ride over to the bay front and catch the parade. It was really hot riding around on those bikes since we have had very little rain to cool anything off so I brought some water along and we had our swimsuits on to take a dip in the bay. We got over to the water in no time and ran in to some friends who had already staked out a place under the shade of a large tree – with Belikin beer in hand they were waiting patiently for the parade to pass by. We couldn’t hear any music at all so we guessed that they still must be quite a ways off. It was a long parade route so our new plan was to swim for a bit in the bay and then ride to the beginning instead of waiting. So we hopped off our bikes and jumped in the water – despite the water being warm it was a cool contrast to the sticky heat that day. We played in the water along with everyone else who had the same idea, bobbing up and down with the waves that were coming in. I had my bikini on but I chose to jump in with my shorts Corozal style because I thought it would keep me a little cooler after I was out of the water. After the swim break we grabbed our bikes and kept on moving.
The parade must have started a little later than planned because they weren’t very far off the starting point by the time we arrived around 3pm. The streets were jam packed along the main road in town – the entire town must have been out there lining the roads. The music was blaring and the colors were brilliant. The main focus of this parade was to showcase the various dance groups who had been practicing for the last month to compete for the 1st place honor. There were also a few floats decorated by various businesses around town and each float had a massive stereo system as their main focus so there was absolutely no shortage of music to dance along to. The overall vibe of the day was exuberance and it was hard not to have a big smile on your face. The parade lasted for about an hour and once we got to the end we were hot, sweaty and dehydrated so we headed back to the house to get some nourishment and a cold shower.
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- Independence Day Parade
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- Dance Competition
Later that day after the parade the festivities would move to the Civic Center which is located about a block from our house and bar so we planned on making our way over there to watch the judging and join in on the celebrations there. We ended up over there around 6pm and it was in full swing. Everyone in town had moved to the Civic and the dance groups were just about to start competitions to be judged. We got to see the first couple of groups before we had to get back to the bar to close up and do payroll for the end of the week. The fun wasn’t over though, after we closed up the bar we headed back to the Civic where activities would be taking place all night long culminating with a grand fireworks display at midnight and dance to bring in Monday.
There was a carnival set up on the Civic Center grounds that held about 7 rides – some for the kids and some for the adults. One of the spinning rides brought the ride goers’ shoes flying about 10 feet from the overhanging power lines. Next the wait for midnight began – I wanted to see the fireworks but there was still about three hours to kill before they would begin. There was entertainment happening outside the Civic Center so I ended up watching that to pass time.
Around 11:30 there was an official ceremony that included speeches from various political figures in town, followed by a 21 gun salute by the Belize Defense Force and then the show started. They had really gone all out with this display of fireworks – it was about a 30 minute show and it was brilliant. Safety didn’t seem to be the main concern as the fireworks were shot off in a small field next to houses, parked cars and another field full of people. I have never been so close to the lighting point of a major fireworks show like that. The show ended with an uninterrupted onslaught of colorful explosions that overwhelmed the senses and left the audience agape.
After the show I opted out of the dance that would follow and continue in to the morning. I headed back to the house in a mass of traffic (probably the closest thing to a traffic jam that Corozal will see).
When I woke up later that morning on Monday there were still events happening around town. An official parade would take place that afternoon but the day began with rain and grey skies so I stayed in the house and planned on going out later if the rain cleared up. I was still pretty exhausted from the night before (next year I’ll have to train for this nonstop weekend). Later that night there was another dance in one of the public parks along the bay. The rain had seemed to let up so we headed out around 8:30 to check it out. It was the place to be, the music was loud, and vendors were out on the street, people were dancing, laughing and drinking – it was a party. We stayed out there enjoying the people for a few hours and then headed back to the house with one quick stop at the Cactus Plaza for some late night tacos. It was a fun couple of days and really a fantastic experience to get to celebrate with the people of Belize.