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San Pedro Belize Celebrates 1st-Annual Jazzfest, December 17-18
Jazz lovers from everywhere should consider visiting San Pedro on Ambergris Caye this December to experience a variety of jazz musicians and fun-filled celebrations at San Pedro's first annual Jazzfest.
The celebrations will be held, December 17 and 18, on the beach in a 5000-square-foot marquee in front of Rendezvous Restaurant & Winery, just north of San Pedro. The event will offer melodious jazz music, as well as diverse cuisine, exotic drinks, and original art, fire and dance exhibits.
Rendezvous Restaurant & Winery will also be celebrating their 7th anniversary, and they have gathered over 40 musicians, from more than a dozen countries, to bring Ambergris Caye a Jazz Festival unrivalled in Belize. During the event there will be a selection of food stands, as well as a traditional underground-roasted whole pig as a rare culinary treat for festival attendees. Belizean artists have been commissioned to produce a work of art, representing the event, which will be auctioned with proceeds going to local charities.
Among the many international jazz musicians taking part are: Grammy Award winning jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz from New York City; jazz vocalist Chris McNulty from Australia; jazz guitarist Paul Bollenback of New York City; and one of the most sought-after jazz bassists in the world, Ugonna Okegwo. In addition, world-class trumpeter Nick "Brownman" Ali has just been confirmed and is flying in from the Havana Jazz festival as another headline entertainer. The event is free to everyone and profits raised from the event will be passed along to the local Chamber of Commerce to aid children who are in need of lifesaving operations.
Ambergris Caye (pronounced "key"), is a 20-mile-long, two-mile-wide tropical spit of sand covered with coconut and mangrove trees, cooled by trade winds, and protected by one of the world's longest barrier reefs. Golf carts, bicycles, and your own two feet are the main modes of transportation on the sand-covered streets of tiny San Pedro, the island's only town. Imagine a small, palm-shaded island, its sugar-white sands awash in some of the warmest, clearest water to be found anywhere. Offshore, Ambergris Caye offers world-class snorkeling, diving, sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing in the turquoise Western Caribbean.
Snuggled between Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south, relaxed, English-speaking Belize is only a two-hour plane ride from parts of the continental United States. Venture into a land rich in natural beauty and steeped in the magic of its Maya past. It is renowned for pristine waters, exotic marine and wildlife, lush landscapes, and superb diving. For more information on Belize visit
www.travelbelize.org, or call 800-624-0686. To find additional information on San Pedro's Jazzfest visit
www.sanpedrojazzfestival.com. Click here for other feature stories about Belize. Let the travel experts at Bestfares.com help you with great airfares to Belize and with all of your travel arrangements to this tropical gem.