Antigua Carnival is on my must attend list for 2019. The land of 365 beaches, I am truly excited for all the beach parties, and vibes. Known as the “Greatest Summer Festival“, Antigua promises to dazzle us this summer. So I am here to assist with your planning, if you decided to go. Since I haven’t been before, I partnered with Top Shelf Events to give us the inside scoop on what we should do.
Antigua Carnival 2019 events are on the following dates: July 27 – August 7, 2019
Antigua has TWO DAYS of carnival, and t-shirt mas the week prior. So if you come for 8 days, you could get 3 days on the road, and then jouvert. Who doesn’t want that?
The parades will take place on August 5-6, 2019.
GETTING THERE
To get into Antigua, you would fly into V.C. Bird International [Airport code is ANU]. Antigua is actually referred to as the heart of the Caribbean because of its location. Antigua is also the head office for LIAT, so direct and connecting flights from most Caribbean islands are easy. As a yachting destination, there are daily ferry services to and from St. Kitts and Barbuda.
WHERE TO GET COSTUMES
There are several bands to choose but from but no band is like the other. Costume prices are reasonable, you can get a frontline costume between the range of $650-$800usd.
These are your band options:
- Myst Carnival
- Barefoot
- Insane Carnival
- Xclusive
- DumzTree
- Fuze
- Flex
- Epic
- Misfitz
- Beautiful People
WHERE TO STAY
Antigua has some of the best hotels in the Caribbean. It is advised visitors stay around St.John’s city.
- YAT Concierge has exclusive Antigua Carnival specials with Siboney Beach Club and Oceanpoint. The Jolly Harbour area is also a great option for visitors to stay, specifically groups. Jolly Harbour is about 20-25 minutes drive outside of St. John’s city. YAT Concierge also has deals with Harbour Island Residences
PACKAGES WITH YAT CONCIERGE
Planning on your own can be pricey, but YAT Concierge can assist and even provide some discounts on your costume if you book with them. Here are some packages they offer.
Dates:
Saturday July 27th to Thursday August 8th ($2400 USD)
Saturday July 27th to Tuesday July 30th ($1700 – $2000 USD)Saturday August 3rd to Thursday August 8th ($1700 – $2000 USD)
The prices depend on how many are traveling in your group and the costume you’re interested in. Prices shown are a base estimate that will cover accommodations, transportation, costume and event/fete tickets. Other benefits to booking your Antigua Carnival with YAT Concierge include:
- Pre-check service to avoid long wait times to check into your villa, hotel, Airbnb
- Ticketing XPress card (one card that holds all of your event and fete tickets)
- Goodie bags for the carnival junkie (including essentials for your carnival experience)
- Meal plan add ons, travel excursion add ons, discounted rates with partnering hotels/villas (Ocean Point Antigua, Siboney Beach Club and Harbour Island Residences)
- FAST Track service from touch down at the airport
- With YAT Concierge we have discounted mas costumes with Insane Carnival and Barefoot Carnival.
WHERE TO PARTY
Like most carnival celebrations, the season is long so there is a list of things you can participate in should you touch down. This is a minor list of the hot events taking place
July 27
- Raft Up
- Tshirt Mas
July 29
- Tease Day Fete – [Global Carnivalist Recommended]
July 30
- Druesday – Stay tuned
August 1
- Caribbean Melting Pot – Stay tuned
- Drink till You Weak – Stay tuned
August 3
- Ripple Booze Cruise [Global Carnivalist Recommended]
August 4
- Lemonade Breakfast Party [Global Carnivalist Recommended]
August 7
- Juicy, Cool Down [Global Carnivalist Recommended]
TOURISTY THINGS TO CHECKOUT
Known as the ‘Land of 365 Beaches, one for everyday of the year‘, there are several beach options. I’ve compiled a brief list of things to check out on your visit to Antigua. Also, a popular attraction in Antigua is swimming with stingrays.
- Beaches: we have 365 beautiful options (preferred: Ffryes Beach, Dickenson Bay, Valley Church, Darkwood Beach
- Food; you must enjoy the local food (Fungee & Saltfish, Ducana, Rice Pudding/Blood Pudding, Souse, Black Pineapple (sweetest in the world), Pepperpot, Goat Water, Hot bread butter and cheese w/ an ice cold Punch Soda (this is affordable Carnival food to partake of after jouvert and fetes)
- Sting Ray City
- Triflex Excursion Adventure Eco Tours
- Kon Tiki Bar (floating bar)
- Catamaran/Boat Cruises
- ZipLine Tours
- Shirley Heights
I hope to see you all there. I will personally be on the road with Myst Carnival so please join me for the premium Antiguan experience.
Yours in Mas,
