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San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade and Best Pupusas in Town

by tacogirl 14/12/2019
written by tacogirl 14/12/2019
San Pedro boat parade

Unfortunately, the last weekend marked the final San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade (SPHBP.) Or so I thought. I could totally understand why it could be the last (a second time) however I learned thanks to facebook peeps, the San Pedro Town Council is going to keep the fun Christmas lighted boat parade tradition next year on Ambergris Caye. I am waiting to find out of they are choosing a new name to operate the parade under.

Maybe someone will start a daytime inflatables boat parade also. That would be a super fun party and it would eliminate generator problems. My pictures below are from my previous upper duplex apartment. At that point in time, my friend Cindy lived below and it was a great mission accomplished to make our pool fun-filled to enjoy with friends. Imagine how colorfully tricked out you could make a boat.

blow up palmtree

And these pics were only about 3/4 of when we were at maximum floaty to capacity. At the time there was a really good season stock at the shops and many vacationing friends made contributions. Countless people enjoyed hours of island girl style pool therapy. It was perfection and I am enjoying the memory recall.

blow up pool toys

Winners Circle

I love that the SPHBP really pushed charities to get involved more. Over the years I was lucky enough to participate on two boats that way. This year I was just happy to highlight two great charities among the few that participated.

Best Charity Boat ($2,000): Belize Tourism Industry Association San Pedro Chapter
Boat: SeaStar Belize & The Dive Bar Sponsor: The Truck Stop

Santa putting trash in the can and Captain Conch was a great effort at making education festive and fun. You saw the other side of this boat in my featured image above.

San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade

2nd place ($2,000): ACES / American Crocodile Education Sanctuary
Boat: “Wayo Not” by Wayo’s Beach Bar Sponsor: Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant.

ACES is a very skilled conservation group and talented boat designers another great showstopper of an entry.

San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade

This next pic takes you back to the beginning as people were claiming their dock space to watch the parade go by. The Coconut Trio was live in the background while they waited and socialized. Not a bad way to celebrate winter 😀

San Pedro Nightlife at Palapa Bar

Palapa Bar and Grill is a great place to listen to live music. They have the Coconut Trio on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. They also host a guitar circle on Mondays and always have guest musicians coming in.

Live music San Pedro Belize

Upcoming New Year’s Eve party – DJ 70’s-80’s-90’s music. Also included, jello shots complimentary champagne at midnight and a great view of the fireworks in town. New Years Day Hangover Party – make your own bloody marys, live music from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

San Pedro Nightlife

More Winners

Best of Show (1st place – $4,000): Jody Leslie and Team Chingon, self-sponsored

3rd place ($750): Kids in Action
Boat & Sponsor: San Pedro Tour Operators Association

4th place ($500): QE Toon, self-sponsored – they donated their winnings to Holy Cross School Belize!

Special mention to SailBelize Native Tours for entering their boat all the way from Caye Caulker!

(Winner’s list provided by San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade Facebook page)

I will leave you with a few pics of everyone’s hard work. Congratulations to all entries, everyone did a fantastic job.

San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade
Holiday sailing in Belize
Lighted Boat Parade in Belize
San Pedro boat parade
Christmas lighted San Pedro boat parade

As you will see in the picture below, the Sandbar area was very busy and filling up fast for the awards ceremony. I am sure pizzas were flying. They make them super tasty there and have very easy delivery options.

I would like to give special thanks to the San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade for carrying the torch for so long – since 2012. You definitely deserve an award for doing an amazing job at taking on a herculean task the past seven years. I am not a huge Christmas girl but this event has always helped me find some spirit.

Beach road in Boca del Rio San Pedro

San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade would like to thank everyone that made this last year’s parade possible. (A bit below also courtesy of their Facebook page)

They would also like to congratulate all the winners of the bittersweet final 2019 holiday Boat Parade, and one last nod of appreciation to everyone who supported the event. There were many hard-working elves and once again, they made magic to put this event together.

Prize sponsors for the event: Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Tourism Board, Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant, Captain Shark’s Belize, Castillo’s Hardware Co. Ltd.

Another huge show of gratitude to additional cash prize and startup light sponsors and viewing stations of this year’s parade: Hurricane’s Ceviche Bar, Wayo’s Beach Bar, Sandy Toes Beach Bar & Grill, Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant, Palapa Bar and Grill, Fido’s Beach Bar, Estel’s Dine By the Sea, Crazy Canucks Beach Bar

Thank you to The San Pedro Sun for the amazing support and media sponsorship throughout the years of this annual tradition! See more great parade coverage on their website including high-quality boat pictures and the after-party, with some great group awards shots.

Finally, a very big thank you to Island Dream Tours – YOLO for providing the VIP viewing boat, with all proceeds being donated to Hope Haven – Belize!

Best Pupusas in Town

As for the best pupusas, Pupuseria El Salvadoreño on Middle Street wins hands down against Waruguma for me. Why? Because they let you get three ingredients in them versus two. My favorite is spinach, cheese, and squash – so gooey and yummy. A few friends and I ended up there after the parade. Kay, Rosemary, and Emily all agree.

They are made from cornflower generally however there are rare times when they get rice special flower from El Salvador which is supposed to be very tasty. I have not had the opportunity to try one yet.

Cheap food San Pedro Belize

Related

tacogirl

Laurie Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

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I first got my Passport in 2012 and Taco Girl was my first connection back then Great then and Marvelous Now! She's... blossomed and developed into a wonderful contact for any and all information Belize. She goes above & beyond to respond with information that you need whether visiting Belize or relocating! I wasn't able to fund the move then but now that I have much more equity I am doing it.This time she was the 1st person I reached out to! Now I am selling and moving to Belize. She responds immediately! Like I do in my Pet Sitting Business! I was so impressed I followed her all this time. And was not disappointed!Pamela Nixonread more
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I've spent the last month exploring Belize. I'm retired & seriously considering moving down to Belize permanently from... the US. I contacted the local San Pedro expert "Taco Girl" to help me get started in finding an apartment to rent. With her help, I've located several places that meet my needs & budget requirements. Thank you Laurie!read more
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It was my first time visiting Belize and San Pedro so naturally I had a ton of questions when it came time to planning... the travel. Taco Gril's blog was an invaluable source of information for all the travel questions in Ambergris Caye. I was able to learn a lot of basic information, as well as many tips and tricks. In addition when I reached out to Taco Girl for advice on finding a local photographer and a restaurant recommendation, she was very quick to respond and gave me many helpful suggestions. She also provided a lot more information from a local's point of view, which was much for valuable than than a typical guidebook. Thanks to her helpful suggestions we were able to celebrate my daughter's birthday at a nice restaurant, and had a great photo family session with a local photographer. I'm very thankful for all her resources and knowledge.read more
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I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
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Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton!I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
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I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
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I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local... information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
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Belize Blog Est. 2007

belize travel specialist

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation. If you have any questions or want Belize help planning and booking, please feel free to contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

A few childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age. Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

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