Chocolate Festival of Belize

The Chocolate Festival of Belize in Punta Gorda puts cacao at the center of the day, with producer stalls, tastings, demonstrations, and local performances gathered in and around the Punta Gorda town center. It feels more like a townwide celebration of Belizean cacao than a trade show: you move between the festival market and tasting area, stop at cacao producer stalls for samples and conversation, then drift toward the main stage or demonstration space for cooking and chocolate-making sessions.

Morning starts with early browsing and first purchases as stalls open and the tasting tables begin pouring cacao tea and setting out samples. By late morning and into the afternoon, the festival market and tasting area gets fuller, with lines forming at chocolate tastings, people pausing at cacao producer stalls to compare bars and sweets, and a steady pull toward cooking or chocolate-making demonstrations and local cultural performances. If programming runs later, the feel shifts again, with more lingering around food stands and the stage as music and final sales carry the day toward evening.

At this festival, eating and tasting happen side by side with the cacao program in central Punta Gorda, so you might sip cacao tea at one table, try dark chocolate samples at the next, then break for Belizean street food or a cold fruit drink before heading back to the demonstrations. Must Try:

• dark chocolate samples
• cacao tea
• chocolate desserts
• cacao nib sweets
• fresh tropical fruit drinks