November 17 @ 7:30 pm - November 18 @ 6:00 am

The night commences with the 13th Annual Battle of the Drums Competition and Show. This is a Competition and Show that allows groups to compete and display their musical artistry in playing five (5) different categories of Garifuna drumming. The first Battle of the Drums was held in Punta Gorda Town on November 17, 2006, and was well received by spectators from home and abroad. In 2007, there was even a bigger audience and greater enthusiasm. As of 2008 the event has evolved into an international drumming competition and show involving drumming groups from various parts of Belize as well as from neighboring Guatemala and Honduras. This competition and show have become a major local and tourist attraction and a catalyst for significant economic activity in the Punta Gorda Area during the period when it is hosted. The Battle of the Drums Competition and Show is held every year on Saturday immediately preceding the 19th day of November.

The proceeds from the Battle of the Drums Initiative are strictly used to pursue various Garifuna cultural retrieval projects in Punta Gorda Town and other Garifuna communities as the funds allow. The cultural retrieval projects include annual Battle of the Drums summer camps for children and youths ages 5 to 13 years, Garifuna Language and Drumming in Schools program for primary school age children, Annual Primary Schools Garifuna Translation contest, among others.

The Belize Garifuna Musical Festival takes place immediately after the Battle of the Drums and will continue until 6:00 a.m. on the morning of November 18, 2018. This is the third year that such an event is being organized in Belize. The Belize Garifuna Musical Festival will feature performances of various genre of Garifuna Music by local and international renowned artists. The winners of the Garifuna Song Competition will also be in attendance. The performances will showcase the following music forms: Hungu Hungu, Paranda, Gunjei, Punta, and Punta Rock.