Belize Public Holidays 2017

This page contains a national calendar of all 2017 public holidays. These dates may be modified as official changes are announced, so please check back regularly for updates.

Belize celebrates 11 national holidays each year, with the Easter holiday taking place over a four-day celebration. A few of the country’s holidays are religious based and the dates change each year based on the lunar cycle.

Public holidays are governed by the Chapter 289 of the Laws of Belize, Holiday Acts. These acts establish which days are official holidays in Belize. The government reserves the right to add days, remove days, and to change mid-week holidays or those falling on a Sunday to another day so that all can benefit from observing the holiday.

The Labour Code, Part XI, Section 117 states that all employees must receive a paid day off for nationally recognised holidays and that employers who pay by the piece or by the job performed must provide an “average day’s pay” for their employees.

If an employee is obligated to work on a holiday due to the nature of their job, the law requires that employees receive additional pay for their duties. On Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Monday, employees must be paid at double their hourly or daily rate. On all other holidays, employees receive their regular pay plus one half more for these dates.