Belize City in November: Garifuna Settlement Day, Weather and What to Do

In the second half of November, drumbeats start to carry across Belize. The Garifuna rhythms of punta are heard in the run-up to Settlement Day, and kitchens turn out cassava bread and fish simmered in coconut broth.

Belize City sits at the end of the rainy season, with a warm sea and a city of creek-side docks, old wooden houses and a harbor that has served Belize for generations. November here is a month for the Garifuna holiday, for museum and waterfront wandering, and for a coast easing out of hurricane season.

The waterfront of Belize City in the wet season · Illustration

What is the weather like in Belize City in November?

November in Belize City is warm and still fairly wet, with the heat of the early autumn easing a little and the rain slowly loosening its hold. The sea stays well above bathwater temperature.

Month	Average high (°F)	Average low (°F)	Rain days	Sea (°F)
October	88.1	74.3	13.7	86.4
November	85.5	71.0	11.4	83.5
December	84.2	69.3	10.3	81.1

Highs sit in the mid-80s, which is warm enough for shirtsleeves and sandals on any walk through the city. Nights slip into the low 70s, so you can sit outside after dinner without a jacket. About eight inches of rain falls over the month, and a good share of days see at least a little of it, so a gray, wet stretch is part of the picture.

Light is shorter than in the early autumn. Daylight lasts a little over eleven hours in the middle of the month, so plan your outdoor time around it and keep museums and indoor stops for when the sky turns heavy. The warm, humid air makes light cotton or linen the sensible choice, and a rain layer earns its place in the bag.

Can you swim in Belize City in November?

The sea near Belize City is warm in November, averaging about 83.5°F, which is comfortable for a long dip if you choose to get in. The Caribbean coast of Belize runs for 240 miles, and the cayes and reef that lie off it are what draw people into the water.

Belize City itself is a harbor town, built around creek mouths and docks rather than a resort beach, so the water experience here is about boats and harbors. The Fort Street Tourism Village sits at the mouth of Halouver Creek and works as a tender port, with ship passengers carried to shore on small boats. St. George’s Caye is tied to the city’s story as the site of the 1798 battle that Belize commemorates every September.

If snorkeling or diving is the point of your trip, the cayes and reef reserves are the places to plan around, and the warm November sea suits that kind of day. Keep the city for its streets, its food and its history.

What to do in Belize City in November

The date that gives November its character is the 19th, when Belize marks Garifuna Settlement Day. It is a public holiday, and it gives the month its sound, with drums, song and dancing, and its taste, with coconut, fish and cassava. Around it, the rest of the month is a quiet stretch between the hurricane peak and the year-end holidays.

Garifuna Settlement Day

The holiday was created by the Belizean civil rights activist Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941, and the southern districts recognized it as a public holiday in 1943. It became a national holiday in 1977, so it now belongs to the whole country, Belize City included. The heart of the celebration is the arrival of the Garifuna people on the Belizean coast, remembered through boats, processions and music.

You will hear the thick, rolling drums of punta and the call-and-response singing that goes with it. Food is part of the day too. Look for hudut, a dish of fish in coconut broth served with mashed plantain, and for ereba, the round, flat cassava bread. Garifuna celebrations are strongest in the south, where the holiday first took hold, but the day is felt across Belize.

The Museum of Belize and the Fort Street waterfront

The Museum of Belize is an art and history museum, established in 2002. The building is the old Belize City Prison, which held inmates until 1993, and the former cells and walls give the exhibits a setting that is hard to forget. It is an obvious stop on a wet November day, when the showers send you indoors.

The Fort Street Tourism Village stands on about two acres on the north bank at the mouth of Halouver Creek. Its courtyards hold snack bars, local stores with duty-free shopping, restaurants and live local entertainment. It is a pleasant place to sit with a cold drink and watch the harbor.

Food is the other thread of the month. Belize City kitchens turn out rice and beans with stewed chicken, fry jacks at breakfast, johnnycakes, fresh seafood and rum punch in the evening, with Belikin, the national beer, on every menu. The warm nights suit a meal outdoors, and the rain days suit a long lunch under a roof.

Ladyville, the largest village in Belize, lies northwest of the city along the Philip Goldson Highway and has become a suburb, with many residents commuting into Belize City daily. A look at it shows how the city spills beyond its center. Late in the month the hurricane season closes on November 30, and Iota, a powerful late-season Category 4 hurricane of 2020, is a reminder that the Atlantic keeps its calendar to the last day.

A two-day itinerary for Belize City in November

Day 1 starts at the Museum of Belize, which gives the city its background through art and history inside the old prison. Spend the morning there, since it is a roofed stop that works whatever the sky does. Afterward, stop for a lunch of stewed chicken with rice and beans or a fry jack plate in a local cookshop.

In the afternoon, move to the Fort Street Tourism Village at the mouth of Halouver Creek. Its courtyards, shops and snack bars make a comfortable base while the light softens over the harbor. Eat dinner in one of the restaurants, where live local entertainment is part of the evening.

Day 2 is for looking beyond the center. Start with a breakfast of johnnycakes and coffee, then take the Philip Goldson Highway out to Ladyville, a suburb of the city and the largest village in Belize. Walk its streets and see how Belize City’s neighbors live, then return for lunch.

Spend the afternoon on the water side of the city, watching the harbor and the boats. With daylight lasting a little over eleven hours, there is time for it, but the light fades earlier than in summer, so finish before dusk.

If the rain sets in, go back to the museum galleries or linger over a long meal. In the evening, try a rum punch and a plate of seafood, and let the November night stay warm around you.

Is Belize City busy in November?

The date that sets the pace of November is the 19th, when Garifuna Settlement Day, a public holiday, brings celebrations and a day off for many people in Belize.

For cruise passengers, the city works through the Fort Street Tourism Village, a tender port where ships anchor offshore and passengers are carried to the village by small boats. The first cruise ship dropped anchor in Belize’s waters in 1991, and the port has been part of the city’s rhythm ever since. The village has courtyards, snack bars, local stores and restaurants that serve visitors from the ships.

In practice, this means the waterfront can change from one day to the next, quiet on some mornings and lively on others. On the holiday itself, expect shops, offices and some restaurants to follow a holiday pattern.

Plan restaurant meals and sightseeing around the 19th, and keep the day for the celebrations if you want to see them. The rest of the month leaves room for a slower rhythm, with the museum, the harbor and the long meals of the city at your own pace.

What to pack for Belize City in November

November in Belize City is warm and humid with regular rain, so pack for heat, a few wet spells and evenings that stay mild.

Light cotton or linen clothes, because highs sit in the mid-80s and the air is humid.
A light rain jacket or compact umbrella, since rain falls on many days of the month.
Sandals or shoes that dry quickly, for wet streets and harbor docks.
A swimsuit, because the sea is warm.
Sunscreen and a hat, for the walks between museum, waterfront and lunch.
A light layer for the evenings, which drop into the low 70s.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.

November is the last month of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. The peak passed in September, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. An average season brings 14 named storms, 7 of them hurricanes. Hurricanes Hattie, Keith, Earl and Lisa are part of the region’s history, so keep an eye on forecasts.

Garifuna Settlement Day on the 19th is a public holiday, so some businesses may follow holiday patterns that day.

Belize City in November vs October and December

Moving the trip four weeks earlier brings you to October, which is warmer, wetter and closer to the heart of the hurricane season. The sea is at its warmest of the three months, and the days are longer. The September holidays of St. George’s Caye Day and Independence Day are behind you by then, and the Garifuna holiday still lies ahead.

Moving four weeks later brings you to December, when the hurricane season has ended and the weather is drier, the nights slightly cooler and the sea a few degrees lower. Daylight is at its shortest, so the days feel a little compact. You miss Garifuna Settlement Day, which sits squarely in November.

If the holiday and its music matter to you, stay with November. If you want the warmest water, October fits. If you prefer less rain and a season already over, December is the choice.

Is November a good time to visit Belize City?

Yes, for travelers who want warm air, a warm sea and a cultural calendar built around Garifuna Settlement Day, and who do not mind some rain. Museum lovers, food-minded travelers and anyone curious about the Garifuna heritage of Belize will find plenty to fill the days.

It suits less well anyone who wants a dry, sunny stretch with no rain days at all, or who plans to stay entirely at a beach resort rather than in the city. Start with the Museum of Belize on arrival, then head to the Fort Street waterfront for a first meal by the creek. What sets November apart is the sound of the 19th, when drums, song and the flavor of coconut fish broth carry a coast and a country into its own celebration.

Sources

NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BHM00078583 (Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, Belize City), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BHM00078583), checked October 11, 2026
Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 11, 2026
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