Garifuna Collective to Europe, celebrating 20 years

BELMOPAN, Thurs. July 23, 2026

   Belize’s internationally renowned Garifuna Collective has embarked on a 14-day European tour, taking the country’s rich musical heritage to audiences in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany as part of the band’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The group departed Belize on July 20, and will perform at five major venues and festivals, beginning with London’s Jazz Café on July 22, before making appearances at the Summer Camp Festival in Cornwall, the internationally acclaimed WOMAD Festival in Wiltshire, the Skibbereen Arts Festival in Cork, Ireland, and the Sonic Pluriverse Festival in Berlin, Germany.

   The European performances form the latest chapter in the band’s year-long anniversary celebrations, which began earlier this year with concerts in Belize, the United States and Canada.

   The tour follows another landmark achievement for the Garifuna Collective, which recently became the first Belizean band to appear on the cover of Songlines magazine, one of the world’s leading publications dedicated to global music. The July edition features the ensemble on its cover, with photography by Hopkins Village photographer Jeremy Lewis, and includes the exclusive track “DUNURU (Bird)” on the magazine’s accompanying “Top of the World” compilation CD. The song is scheduled for worldwide release on August 14. The current touring lineup includes Desiree Diego, Kenrick Lewis, Mohobub Flores, Al Ovando, Denmark Flores, Emilio Thomas, Sam Harris and Austin Aranda.

   In congratulating the group on its milestone anniversary, Minister of Culture Francis Fonseca and the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) recognized the Garifuna Collective’s contribution to promoting Belizean culture on the international stage. Over the past two decades, the ensemble has earned worldwide acclaim for blending traditional Garifuna rhythms with contemporary musical influences, becoming one of Belize’s most recognizable cultural ambassadors. Their music has been praised by international critics, with The Wall Street Journal describing the band’s sound as having “complex rhythms” that “quickly resolve themselves into a completely irresistible groove.”

   The Garifuna Collective is scheduled to return to Belize on August 4 and will host a press conference at the House of Culture in Belize City to share highlights from the European tour.