Antigua Carnival 2023 Full Recap

It’s not uncommon to hear someone say “I need a vacation” at the end of their carnival trip. I call them carnival adventures because there can be non-stop action. Think about it, after you land, you’re checking into your accommodations, and making a market run to stock up on essentials. Outside of the road days you probably have 1 – 2 parties lined up for each day of your trip. Let’s not forget the hustle and hassle of jouvert, plus the back and forth trips for costume collection and make up sessions. Then, of course, the 1 – 2 days on the road for mas. Whew! I’m tired just writing about it. 

If you’re looking for a Caribbean carnival that still allows you the opportunity to jump up, fete, AND have a little vacay, then Antigua’s carnival might be up your alley. I attended for the first time in 2023 and had a lovely time. Keep reading to find out more about my experiences. Better yet, watch the full carnival recap HERE on my YouTube channel.

Antigua’s Carnival has been running officially since 1957. Their summer carnival festival lasts approximately two weeks, with the kick-off starting annually in late July with various pageants. Their t-shirt mas is one of the main events of the season. Not gon’ lie, my friend attended, and I was green with envy looking at the footage. Next time, I’m definitely touching down earlier to attend.

Like many other Caribbean nations, Antigua’s carnival has two days of mas, which begins the first Monday in August, with pretty mas commencing the day after. To enjoy a little fete action prior to the big road days, I highly recommend heading to the island at least 3-5 days in advance. If you want to attend t-shirt mas then you’ll need more time than that.

Lodging for Antigua Carnival

Prior to my carnival trip, I had the pleasure of visiting Antigua twice. The first year (2021), I stayed in the Dickenson’s Bay area, which I enjoyed. In 2022, my accommodations were in English Harbour, and my AirBnB was simply stunning! For my 2023 carnival trip, we stayed in the Buckley’s area. Antigua Carnival veterans and locals recommend lodging in Buckley’s, Dickenson Bay and Jolly Beach to name a few. 

The Antigua Carnival Fete/Party Scene

This may sound crazy, but I only attended three (3) fetes while in Antigua. Actually, make that two (2), because we definitely arrived hella late to the first one, and left ridiculously early for another LOL. I put my bags down after getting in from the airport and headed to B.F.F, which was a nice warm up fete with a great music selection. We arrived two hours before the event was scheduled to end, thanks to my overly delayed flight with Inter Caribbean Airlines. Nonetheless, I had a time jammin’ to the well curated blend of soca and quality dancehall tracks played during the fete. 

The next morning we headed to town to organize ourselves for the Ripple x Tease catamaran and land experience. I loved every moment of that event and would definitely return. I wish more event planners understood that you don’t need 10+ DJs to have a successful event. We had two (2) DJs on our boat and not only did they NOT disappoint, but they never-EVER repeated a song. Nuff love and respect for The Spaniard and Brandon Striker!

In an ideal world, we would have attended Lemonade; a fete I’d been hearing about for many years. Unfortunately, we found out early on that Lemonade was not going to be held. That news definitely left a sour taste in my mouth (pun intended), and we were left to figure out a replacement. We waited until the last minute to pull the plug on buying tickets to De Brekfas’ Fete, which was promoted as an all inclusive event. If I knew what I knew now, I would have adjusted my schedule. It was more of a family festival than a fete. No exaggeration, I legit could have brought my daughter with me. The food lines needed plenty work, but the bars and beverage set ups were on point. If you enjoy live local music, long food lines and premium drinks then this fete might be for you. Roomie and I stayed for a solid two (2) hours and then hightailed it to the beach.

Antigua Carnival Parties
B.F.F. | Ripple and Tease | De Brekfas' Fete

Jouvert in Antigua

My eyes and heart were set on jumping with Chattabox for jouvert. I saw their presentations from years past for Antigua and St. Kitts carnivals, and had always fallen in love. To my surprise, they weren’t promoting Antigua jouvert very hard, and had recently backed out of the other carnivals they were promoting, so naturally I got skeptical as the time drew nearer. Eventually, we opted to play mas with Caution which was operated by Project Sync. If memory serves, I don’t recall having any complaints. They definitely had vibes, and fed us decently. As far as music was concerned, their DJs played everything. They started off with mainstream soca from over the years, was heavy on the small island music for most of the day, and blessed us with some dancehall towards the end of the route. They were not stingy with the water or paint.  

Antigua Carnival Mas
On the Road with Insane Carnival

Antigua Carnival Monday and Tuesday

Going into the planning process I was already aware of Insane Carnival and Myst. Sechuns, was a new band that formed a few months before carnival began. In truth, none of the costumes were truly speaking to me from any of the bands. It was probably the most challenging costume selection process in all my years. ,

One thing I appreciate about Antigua Carnival is being able to dip and dabble in the different bands for Monday and Tuesday. I didn’t flex this option as originally planned, and I decided to jump with Insane Carnival on both days. My initial desire was to play mas with Myst on Monday, and Insane on Tuesday. Long story short, I opted out and didn’t have the energy to do the legwork to make it happen lol. I will admit that I do have a teeny tiny bit of regret for not following through on that because I think I would have enjoyed the road more. 

Picking up my costume package is always something I look forward to doing. Due to the time constraints and my lil’ pit stop in Barbados, my Antigua Carnival roomie collected the costume on my behalf. Giving her consent to collect on my behalf was a seamless process that was done through the MasOS system used by Insane. For more details on the pickup process make sure to listen to our Antigua Carnival Q&A on the T’ingz Nice Podcast. 

Overall, Monday seemed to be the most popular day on the road, which may be due to the fact that Carnival Monday in Antigua is a public holiday. Insane took excellent care of us from start to finish. They fed us well, and the vibes were definitely there on both days. I didn’t have any issues with my costume on the road, but there was one costume in our group that needed a bit more love in the construction area. 

The band was very serious about the stage crossings and most masqueraders stayed in their sections for most of the day. When we arrived at Carnival City and crossed the stage, I was amazed at just how much they made a full production of the happenings for the onlookers in the stadium. It was a sight to see. I was thoroughly impressed by the high tech monitors that flocked the stage as each section crossed. Well done Antigua! 

After grabbing a bite to eat with the band we headed back to the house to rest. The next couple days were spent lounging, exploring the island and preparing for the return home.

Final Thoughts on Antigua Carnival

Overall, I enjoyed my time attending Antigua Carnival. Would I go back? Yes, but not anytime soon, because I have other festivals I’d like to visit and Antigua has seen far too much of me these last few years. Onward and upward! Remember to check out the vlog and please don’t  hesitate to reach out with any questions. Share this content with your friends and carnival group chats!

Happy Carnivaling!