The spiny lobster season in Belize has been open since July 1st. To celebrate, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye hosted a two-week-long celebration that ended on Saturday, July 13th, with a grand Lobster Festival Block Party. The block party was the finale of the 13-day Lobster Crawl, which featured daily lobster-themed events at various venues across San Pedro. The anticipated event occurred at the Honorable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Arena (Saca Chispas Field), which featured beautifully decorated restaurant booths offering the best lobster dishes and unique cocktails. As is customary, the food and drink competition was the highlight of the lobster festival, which drew thousands of tourists and locals for an evening of food, drinks, lobster education, and live performances.
The venue opened at 5 PM on the block party day, and a large crowd poured into the Saca Chispas Field as the sunset. Lobster enthusiasts had numerous options for taking photos and indulging in the best lobster dishes available. Anglers Restaurant even had a booth with live lobsters, where they explained the crustacean’s life cycle to visitors. Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez briefly addressed the crowd, highlighting the festival’s importance.He wished everyone a fun time and a productive lobster season to the fishermen and encouraged sustainable fishing practices that benefit Belize’s blue economy.
The festive atmosphere filled the field with music from Deejay Debbie. Later in the evening, the crowd was treated to a diverse range of performances, from the rhythmic beats of the Panerrifix Steel Band to the graceful moves of the San Pedro Dance Academy, the rocking music of the Coconut Trio, the lively tunes of Creek Vibration Band, and the authentic Belizean Brukdown Music by Dawgie King. This performance lineup entertained the crowd throughout the festival as people dined, drank, and danced.
Several restaurants participated in a food and drink competition. A panel of judges had the challenging job of selecting the best lobster dish and cocktail from numerous entries. After collecting all the scores, the tabulator provided the list of winners. The San Pedro Lobsterfest Committee members then took the stage and announced the winners.
The top winners in the drink competition were announced first. In third place was Secret Beach’s Happy Island Beach Bar and Grill, second place was a tie between Moon Bar and Jyoto Sushi Bar/Japanese Restaurant, followed by the top winner, Alaia Hotel, with their ‘Seaweed Black Martini.’
Next, the winners of the best lobster dish were announced. In third place was Anglers Restaurant, followed by Estel’s Dine by the Sea. Taking the grand prize this year for the best lobster dish was Moon Bar at Mangata Villas with their ‘Sweet and Spicy Thai Lobster dish.’ The Beach Bar by Caribbean Villas was also awarded for having the best booth at the festival.
Attendees continued to enjoy the evening with food, drinks, and dancing well into the late night. The San Pedro Lobsterfest Committee received well-deserved recognition for their hard work organizing another successful festival. The event concluded with a heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors, whose support and dedication were instrumental in making the Lobster Festival Block Party a memorable experience for all.
