Guyana National Day

Guyana National Day

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  1. 1970Republic proclaimed
  2. 1966Independence from the United Kingdom
  3. 1970Mashramani began

The story behind the day

Guyana celebrates Republic Day on 23 February, marking the country becoming a republic in 1970. Independence from the United Kingdom had come earlier, in 1966.

The day is best known through Mashramani, a festival whose name is often translated as celebration after hard work. It brings carnival energy to the republic anniversary.

Georgetown hosts the biggest parade, with costumes, calypso, soca, steelpan and food stalls. The holiday reflects Guyana's African, Indian, Indigenous, Chinese, Portuguese and European inheritances.

  1. 202623 February 2026 · Monday
  2. 202723 February 2027 · Tuesday
  3. 202823 February 2028 · Wednesday
The flag
Guyana flag

The Guyanese flag is the Golden Arrowhead: green with a red triangle edged in black and a yellow arrowhead edged in white. The colours refer to forests, mineral wealth, rivers, endurance and the people's energy.

Guyanese independence food reflects the country's extraordinary ethnic mix — Indo-Guyanese curry and roti, Afro-Guyanese pepperpot stew and Amerindian cassava bread.

What to eat

PepperpotGuyanese slow-cooked black stew of beef, pork and cassareep — the national dish, kept on the stove for days.
Dhal puri rotiFlatbread filled with split pea purée — Indo-Guyanese street food eaten with curry at every celebration.
Cook-up riceOne-pot rice with black-eyed peas, meat and coconut milk — Guyana's Sunday rice dish eaten at national gatherings.
MetemgeeAfro-Guyanese stew of plantain, cassava and dumpling cooked in coconut milk with salted fish.
Black cakeRum-soaked dried fruit cake — the Guyanese version of the Caribbean dark fruit cake, made for national celebrations.
Cassava breadFlat disc of dried cassava — the traditional bread of Amerindian communities in the Guyanese interior.

What to drink

El Dorado rumDemerara rum from Guyana — aged in tropical heat for up to 25 years, considered among the world's finest rums.
MaubyBitter-sweet bark drink brewed from the mauby tree — a cooling Guyanese refreshment drunk at outdoor events.
SorrelHibiscus drink spiced with cloves — brewed at Christmas and celebrations, served cold over ice.
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Culture on National Day

Guyana is South America's only English-speaking country — a fascinating mix of Indian, African, Amerindian, Chinese and European communities in the world's most ethnically diverse small nation.

Mashramani CarnivalGuyana's Republic Day carnival on February 23 — float parades, costume bands and steel pan music in Georgetown.
CricketCricket is the national passion — Guyana's Bourda Oval and Providence Stadium have hosted West Indies test matches.
Kaieteur FallsOne of the world's most powerful waterfalls — the Potaro River drops 226 metres into the Amazon jungle, five times the height of Niagara.
Amerindian heritageNine Indigenous Amerindian nations maintain traditional customs, language and spirituality in Guyana's vast interior.