Belize Independence Day Celebrations

September 21 marks Belize's 1981 independence from Britain, the last country on the Central American mainland to gain full sovereignty from a colonial power. Belmopan, the capital, hosts the main midnight flag-raising ceremony, while Belize City and towns nationwide run their own parades, cultural performances and fireworks. As the closing date of the broader September Celebrations season, the day combines formal state ceremony with the livelier street atmosphere carried over from Carnival weekend.

Belize became the last country on the Central American mainland to gain full independence from a colonial power when Britain handed over sovereignty on September 21, 1981, ending a process that had included decades of self-government negotiations and a lingering territorial dispute with Guatemala that shaped the timing of the handover.