Antigua and Barbuda’s Sizzling Food Scene Has Another Must-Visit Event: Culinary Month  

Antigua and Barbuda’s food scene is sizzling right now, and the destination’s already-popular culinary series just got bigger, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The destination has unveiled a new festival called Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, which will run throughout the month of May. 

There’s a bit of everything, from the popular Eat Like a Local experience to the new Food, Art and Beverage (FAB) Festival, along with a regional food symposium called the Caribbean Food Forum. 

That’s along with the centerpiece event that first kicked off in 2023: Restaurant Week, which sees prix fixe menus at more than 30 different eateries across the country. 

May has grown into a “beloved and highly anticipated month for food lovers, both locally and from abroad,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez “Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month will continue to raise the visibility of our culinary excellence in the region and around the world, and we are certain our guests will be thrilled and impressed by the diverse food and cultural offerings.”

This year’s event will again see a star studded lineup of top chefs, from British chef Andi Oliver to three-time James Beard finalist Angel Barreto of Anju in Washington, DC to top St Croix chef Digby Stridiron, among others. 

This year’s month kicks off with the aforementioned FAB Fest, followed by a collaboration dinner with Oliver and Chef Claude Lewis (both of whom are of Antiguan heritage) at the Blue Waters resort; a multi-course pairing dinner with London chefs Kerth Gumbs and Kareem Roberts with the Rocks Group team at Rokuni; a Roti making demo at Blue Waters; and the Caribbean Food Forum on May 13 at the John E. St. Luce Finance and Conference Centre, among other events. 

The festival concludes May 30 with a spirited Reggae Night and Caribbean Cookout Beach Party at the Salt Plage eatery at Siboney Beach Club. 

The most popular inclusion from the last two years was “Eat Like a Local,” which saw visitors sample a list of casual island bookshops across the island, trying favorite dishes like pepper pot and fungee, and it’s back again this year.