Guam in November | All Souls' Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and a Fiesta Weekend

November Packs In Three Holidays — More Than Any Other Month

Work through Guam's government calendar month by month and you'll find five months with no official holiday at all — February, April, June, August, and October. November is the exact opposite, holding three: All Souls' Day (November 2), Veterans Day (November 11), and Thanksgiving (November 26 in 2026). It's Guam's most holiday-dense month, and each holiday reflects a different side of the island: All Souls' Day speaks to the deep Catholic faith woven into Chamorro life, Veterans Day to Guam's long history alongside the U.S. military, and Thanksgiving to its life as an American territory, celebrated with a distinctly local table.

All Souls' Day — A Tradition That Runs Especially Deep on Guam

November 1 is All Saints' Day on the Catholic calendar. As in parishes worldwide, many churches on Guam hold Mass that day, marking the lead-up to All Souls' Day.

November 2, All Souls' Day, is one of the heaviest days on Guam's calendar in the best sense. Families across the island visit cemeteries, carefully cleaning and decorating headstones with flowers, crosses, flags, pinwheels, rosaries, and photos of the departed, before attending Mass. Public and Catholic schools, government offices, and many businesses close for the day — the whole island pauses to remember its dead.

Why It Means So Much Here

All Souls' Day is observed across the Catholic world, and in many places, including the U.S. mainland, it's a relatively minor observance. Guam is different: the tradition of ancestor veneration among the ancient Chamorro people, combined with the deep importance placed on family ties in Chamorro culture, gave the day outsized weight here. Local historians have called Guam the only place in the United States where this tradition is observed with this level of intensity.

Veterans Day — An Island Tied to the Military

Veterans Day, November 11, traces back to the armistice that ended World War I in 1918 — a U.S.-wide holiday. On a base-heavy island like Guam, it carries a closer, more personal significance than it does on much of the mainland.

Each year, Guam holds a ceremony, typically at Gov. Joseph Flores Memorial Park (Ypao Beach Park), where a joint color guard drawn from each branch of the armed services presents the colors during the national anthem. At the 2025 ceremony, a former state command chief master sergeant delivered the keynote address, and the event drew a crowd of military members, veterans, and their families.

Guam is often cited as one of the U.S. locations with the highest per-capita military enlistment rate, with roughly one in eight Guamanians said to have served in the armed forces at some point. From World War II through today, the island's patriotism has been shaped by lived experience of war — and Veterans Day is a chance to reflect on how closely the military remains woven into daily life here.

Thanksgiving — A Guam-Style Feast

Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, the fourth Thursday of the month. As a U.S. territory, Guam observes the holiday on the same date as the mainland — but what's on the table looks a little different.

Alongside the turkey, a Guam Thanksgiving table typically includes Chamorro dishes like chicken kelaguen (chopped chicken with lemon juice, salt, grated coconut, and hot pepper) and red rice (colored with achote seed), plus roast pig, roast beef, and barbecued chicken — a spread that reflects the island's mix of Chamorro, Filipino, and other Asian food traditions. True to a culture built around faith and family, Thanksgiving here is, above all, an occasion for relatives to gather around the table.

Two Fiesta Nights Back to Back — Tamuning and Agana Heights

The weekend after Thanksgiving, two central villages take their turn in the spotlight — much as Humåtak did in the south back in October, with its San Dionisio Fiesta.

Tamuning Fiesta (November 27)

On November 27, 2026, at 6 p.m., Tamuning celebrates the Fiesta of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal), centered on the chapel of the same name on the grounds of St. Anthony Catholic Church (507 Chalan San Antonio, Tamuning, Guam 96913). An evening procession is followed by a community meal blending Chamorro and Filipino dishes — an intimate celebration built around faith and fellowship.

Agana Heights Fiesta (November 28)

The next day, November 28, starting at 4:30 p.m., Agana Heights holds the Fiesta of Nuestra Señora de los Santos Sacramentos (Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament) at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (135 Chalan Guma Yu'us, Agana Heights, Guam 96910). A procession carrying the statue of Our Lady circles the church, followed by a feast of traditional Chamorro food.

Agana Heights was once known as Tutuhan and, before World War II, was mostly farmland worked by residents of the capital, Hagåtña. When the war left Hagåtña in ruins and off-limits, displaced residents resettled on this high ground, and the village grew rapidly from there. Coming right after Thanksgiving, this stretch of the month captures something very Guam: family and faith pulling people together, again and again.

Exact timing and details can vary by year, so check the Guam Visitors Bureau's official site before you go.

November Weather and Driving Tips

Guam is still in its wet season through November. Average temperatures run 27–31°C, and it stays warm and humid, with roughly 190–260mm of rainfall spread across about 20 days in a typical month. Humidity sits around 85–90%, so it can feel muggy.

November is still part of the August–November period when tropical-cyclone approaches near Guam are historically concentrated. Activity is generally lower than in October, but November has recorded approaches, so continue checking current forecasts as the island transitions toward the dry season.

A few things to keep in mind while driving a rental car this month:

• Check the weather forecast and any typhoon advisories before you head out
• Sudden rain can cut visibility quickly — leave more following distance than usual
• Roads near cemeteries and churches can get congested around All Souls' Day and other holidays, so build in extra time
• Parking near fiesta venues is limited, so plan to arrive early

Planning to Visit Guam in November? Compare Rental Car Rates Early

With three holidays packed into one month, the island sees a lot of movement. Demand for rental cars tends to climb from Thanksgiving weekend through the Tamuning and Agana Heights fiestas at month's end, as families gather and villages celebrate. Compare rates and vehicle options early, and book with some breathing room.

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