Placencia September Celebrations

Placencia Prepares to Swing Its Unique Charm into Belize's Patriotic Season

By JOLIE POLLARD

The crowds and the floats may not be as large as those seen at parades in Belize City and the bigger towns in the country, but having a unique backdrop of beach, lagoon and the Maya Mountains, coupled with a village life charm makes it worthwhile to spend the Belize September Celebrations in Placencia.

Choose to participate in the Sept. 10 Battle of St. George's Caye Day activities that hearken British colonial nostalgia with pageantry and a polished tale of African slaves helping their British colonial masters fight the Spanish ships. You're bound to sense a feeling of paradoxical emotions as this is combined with nationalistic songs and plenty of flag waving and colors. Or, on Sept. 21, experience a Caribbean-inspired carnival on Independence Day with explosive colors, wild and passionate soca music and raunchy revelry while celebrating Belize's birth as a nation in 1981.

Energy, time and luck permitting, perhaps you can enjoy the party culture that permeates throughout the month! Celebrations wrap up Placencia style with a two-day fishing tournament on the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd complete with the Placencia Village Council Bar that will be raising money at all September events for the ongoing village sidewalk project.▪

Sept. 10: Battle of St. George's Caye Day

Watch (or join) villagers parade through the streets of Placencia Village behind simple floats playing patriotic songs & carrying the 2018- 2019 Placencia Queen of the Bay Alyssa Faux! Parade begins at 10 a.m. at the pier - Belize time, so no rush! Enjoy refreshments and watch the crowning of the new queen while you wait! The parade winds its way up to Atlantic Bank and returns to the Pier for a jump-up party! Wear flag colors! Decorate your golf carts and bicycles with red and blue! Wave the Belize flag!

Sept. 21: Independence Day Reef-Themed Carnival

Scheduled to start at 2 p.m. across from Mariposa Beach Suites and Resort just south of the Placencia Airstrip. The carnival will dance its way down to the Placencia Municipal Pier where an after party will continue 'til 7 p.m.!

Join the Reef-Themed Carnival!

While Placencia Independence Day Carnival is fun to watch from the side of the road, you'll amplify the fun if you jump in and dance along with everyone else! Don't be shy! Placencians will welcome you with open arms! This year's event will feature a reef theme coordinated by coral restoration non-profit group, Fragments of Hope, in partnership with Oceana Belize and the Placencia Village Council.

If you have time to plan, find your inspiration from the vibrant coral reef of Belize and incorporate your creativity into a costume that makes you feel good and brings attention to Belize's marine ecosystems! Feel even better knowing that this year's reef theme also calls for reduced plastic use and eco-alternatives for beverage consumption, such as five-gallon water jugs, water coolers, reusable water bottles and/or biodegradable cups. Contact FoH Outreach Officer Monique Vernon at Fohoutreach@yahoo.com or 654-8951 for more information on this initiative.

"Carnival is a time of year when men, women and children look forward to come out and showcase our beautiful handmade costumes of all designs and colors," Cindy Lopez-Linarez of the Placencia Jewels carnival group said. "We dance like there's no tomorrow and enjoy our Independence Day. To sum it up, it's fun, fun, fun!"

Want to join a Placencia Carnival group? Act quickly! Contact Placencia Jewels leader Cindy Lopez-Linarez at 615-6450 no later than Sept. 15. Also ask around for other band leaders, Laura Godfrey, Shannen Ordonez and Liz Delgado who organizes a children's group from Seine Bight Village. ▪

Sept. 20-21: Independence Day Flag raising Ceremony

Festivities begin at 5 p.m. at the Placencia Municipal Pier to usher in Independence Day at midnight. Expect to find food vendors, a DJ and an operating bar by the Placencia Village Council, which will be functioning as a fundraiser for the ongoing sidewalk project.

At 11 p.m. the flag raising ceremony will begin with a prayer followed by speeches delivered by village officials. It all wraps up with a highly anticipated fireworks show!

Sept. 22-23: Placencia BTIA- Yamaha Marelco Salt-water Fishing Tournament

Calling all fishing enthusiasts! This intense two-day tournament brings crowds of spectators and huge cash prizes for the big catch!

Catch or Just Watch the Big Fish!

● BZ$12,000 in total cash prizes!

● BZ$4,000 Best Boat prize!

This September fishing tournament is always a highlight during the September Celebrations! Teams head out early on both Saturday and Sunday mornings returning each day to the Placencia Municipal Pier for weigh-in. Final scores are tallied at the Sunday weigh-in followed by exciting award presentations.

Organized by the Placencia Chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) who is also the publisher of this newspaper, the event is one of the Chapter's four major annual fund raisers. Others include the February Placencia Sidewalk Arts Festival, the June Placencia Lobsterfest in partnership with the Placencia Village Council and the December Placencia Mistletoe Ball. In addition to major sponsor Yamaha Marelco, other sponsors help with the printing of the official tournament t-shirts and cash prizes. Sponsorship support, t-shirt sales and registration fees not only contribute to the success of the tournament, but also help to sustain the grassroots destination marketing and advocacy efforts of the Placencia BTIA.

Want to sign up?! Fill out the application form on page 12 and submit to the Placencia BTIA office at the Placencia Tourism Center located just behind the ReMax office on the Placencia Road in Placencia Village. As of press time, cash prizes total over BZ$12,000, and The Insurance Corporation of Belize is sponsoring a grand BZ$4,000 for the Best Boat win!

We know we're pretty chill about most things in Placencia, but when it comes to fishing tournaments things get serious! Missing the deadline for weigh-in time can disqualify the entire team! Needless to mention, there's a lot of pressure on the volunteer judges to make sure those scores are to the mark!

Women, men and children are encouraged to participate! In addition to the Best Boat prize, cash prizes are awarded to the Best Female Angler, Best Junior Angler, Largest Extraordinary Fish, Largest Jack, Largest Kingfish, Largest Tuna and Grand Slam. Look out for second place prizes too! Good luck to this year's anglers!▪