Guyana National Day 2027
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About the event
The day is best known through Mashramani, a festival whose name is often translated as celebration after hard work. The holiday reflects Guyana's African, Indian, Indigenous, Chinese, Portuguese and European inheritances.
Guyana's Republic Day carnival on February 23 — float parades, costume bands and steel pan music in Georgetown.
Why this 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.
Timeline
- 1970Republic proclaimed
- 1966Independence from the United Kingdom
- 1970Mashramani began
Key figures
Stay for the event
Check-in 22 Feb, check-out 24 Feb 2027 — 2 nights around 23 February 2027. Change the dates to stay longer.
AREA
Find stays in GeorgetownGetting there
- Celebratednationwide
- CapitalGeorgetown
- Time zoneGYT (UTC-4)
Host country
- Currency: Guyanese dollar
- Language: English
- Driving: on the left
- Capital: Georgetown
- Phone: +592
- Emergency: 911
- Electricity: 240 V, 60 Hz, plugs A/B/D/G
What to eat
Guyanese slow-cooked black stew of beef, pork and cassareep — the national dish, kept on the stove for days.
Flatbread filled with split pea purée — Indo-Guyanese street food eaten with curry at every celebration.
One-pot rice with black-eyed peas, meat and coconut milk — Guyana's Sunday rice dish eaten at national gatherings.
Afro-Guyanese stew of plantain, cassava and dumpling cooked in coconut milk with salted fish.
Rum-soaked dried fruit cake — the Guyanese version of the Caribbean dark fruit cake, made for national celebrations.
Flat disc of dried cassava — the traditional bread of Amerindian communities in the Guyanese interior.
What to drink
Demerara rum from Guyana — aged in tropical heat for up to 25 years, considered among the world's finest rums.
Bitter-sweet bark drink brewed from the mauby tree — a cooling Guyanese refreshment drunk at outdoor events.
Hibiscus drink spiced with cloves — brewed at Christmas and celebrations, served cold over ice.
Culture & traditions
Guyana's Republic Day carnival on February 23 — float parades, costume bands and steel pan music in Georgetown.
Cricket is the national passion — Guyana's Bourda Oval and Providence Stadium have hosted West Indies test matches.
One of the world's most powerful waterfalls — the Potaro River drops 226 metres into the Amazon jungle, five times the height of Niagara.
Nine Indigenous Amerindian nations maintain traditional customs, language and spirituality in Guyana's vast interior.
Coming years
Guyana National Day 2028
- Wednesday 23 February 2028Next event date
Guyana National Day 2029
- Friday 23 February 2029Event date
Guyana National Day 2030
- Saturday 23 February 2030Event date