Public holidays in Antigua and Barbuda
12 days in 2026 · 12 in 2027
Back to Antigua and BarbudaNext public holiday
Independence Day
After it: National Heroes' Day, Wednesday 9 December
Monday, 2 November 2026
Antigua and Barbuda has 12 public holidays with a day off in 2026 and 12 in 2027. The calendar's centre of gravity is August: Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday, the first Monday and Tuesday of the month, close the Carnival that celebrates emancipation, which freed the enslaved people of Antigua on 1 August 1834. In 2026 they make a four-day weekend from Saturday 1 to Tuesday 4 August.
The days are set by the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act 2005, and most of them are Monday holidays by design: Labour Day on the first Monday in May, Easter Monday, Whit Monday and the two Carnival days. The law also moves fixed days that land on a weekend. Independence Day, 1 November, falls on a Sunday in 2026 and is kept on Monday 2 November.
The government's list adds that Sundays, Christmas Day and Good Friday are also observed as common law holidays, alongside the days the statute names.
- Days off in 2026
- 12Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 1Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 6and 2 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Antigua and Barbuda in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayWhen 1 January falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is the day off instead.Thursday
- 3 April: Good FridayTwo days before Easter, and one of the three days, with Sundays and Christmas Day, that are also common law holidays.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayThe day after Easter Sunday, so it falls in March or April: 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027.MondayDate moves
- 4 May: Labour DayThe first Monday in May. Wikipedia records it as marked by singing, dance and free transport to the places where celebrations are held.MondayDate moves
- 25 May: Whit MondayFifty days after Easter. Barbuda holds Caribana, its own carnival, over the Whit holiday weekend.MondayDate moves
- 3 August: Carnival MondayThe first Monday in August, the first of the two days that end Carnival. The festival celebrates emancipation on 1 August 1834 and replaced the Old Time Christmas Festival in 1957.MondayDate moves
- 4 August: Carnival TuesdayThe first Tuesday in August and the last day of Carnival, the day the festival season runs up to from late July.TuesdayDate moves
- 10 September: National Day of PrayerThe second Thursday in September: 10 September in 2026 and 9 September in 2027. It is not on the government's list of 2023.ThursdayDate moves
- 2 November: Independence DayIndependence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981. When the day falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is kept on the Monday, and it is usually marked with a parade, national awards and a food fair.MondayDate moves
- 9 December: National Heroes' Day9 December, called V.C. Bird Day on the government's list, after Vere Cornwall Bird, the first prime minister. Wikipedia records it as marked by speeches and family gatherings.Wednesday
- 25 December: Christmas DayWhen Christmas falls on a Saturday the following Monday is a day off, and when it falls on a Sunday both the Monday and the Tuesday are.FridayDate moves
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing Day26 December. It falls on a Saturday in 2026, and the government's list gives no substitute rule for it.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Antigua and Barbuda in 2026
Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.
- 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
- 4daysFri 3 Apr to Mon 6 AprGood Friday, Easter Monday
- 3daysSat 2 May to Mon 4 MayLabour Day
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
- 4daysSat 1 Aug to Tue 4 AugCarnival Monday, Carnival Tuesday
- 4daysThu 10 Sept to Sun 13 SeptWith Fri 11 Sept taken as leave · National Day of Prayer
- 3daysSat 31 Oct to Mon 2 NovIndependence Day
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in Antigua and Barbuda in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
- 3 May: Labour DayMondayDate moves
- 17 May: Whit MondayMondayDate moves
- 2 August: Carnival MondayMondayDate moves
- 3 August: Carnival TuesdayTuesdayDate moves
- 9 September: National Day of PrayerThursdayDate moves
- 1 November: Independence DayMondayDate moves
- 9 December: National Heroes' DayThursday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DaySunday
- 28 December: Christmas DayTuesdayDate moves
The government's own list, published by the Antigua and Barbuda Intellectual Property and Commerce Office for 2023, names eleven days. The National Day of Prayer, on the second Thursday in September, is the twelfth: it appears in the Wikipedia list of public holidays and in the calendars for 2026 and 2027, but not on that list.
Weekend rules differ by day. New Year's Day moves only from a Sunday, Independence Day from a Saturday or a Sunday, and Christmas moves to the Monday from a Saturday and to the Monday and Tuesday from a Sunday. The government's list gives no substitute rule for Boxing Day on its own, and 26 December 2026, a Saturday, has no Monday in lieu.
The Governor-General may proclaim further holidays on the advice of the cabinet, as the Wikipedia country article notes, so a one-off day off can be added in any year.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Antigua and Barbuda
How many public holidays does Antigua and Barbuda have in 2026?
Twelve days off, eleven of them on weekdays. Boxing Day, 26 December, is the one that falls on a weekend, a Saturday, and it has no day in lieu. Independence Day, 1 November, falls on a Sunday and is kept on Monday 2 November. The government's list of 2023 names eleven days; the National Day of Prayer is the twelfth.
When is Carnival Monday in Antigua?
On the first Monday in August: 3 August in 2026 and 2 August in 2027, followed by Carnival Tuesday on 4 August 2026 and 3 August 2027. Both are days off. Carnival marks emancipation on 1 August 1834 and runs from late July to Carnival Tuesday.
What happens when a holiday in Antigua falls on a weekend?
It depends on the day. New Year's Day moves to Monday if it falls on a Sunday, and Independence Day to Monday from a Saturday or a Sunday, as it does in 2026. Christmas moves to Monday from a Saturday and to Monday and Tuesday from a Sunday. Boxing Day on a Saturday, as in 2026, has no day in lieu.
What is V.C. Bird Day?
The name the government's list gives to the day off on 9 December, which other calendars call National Heroes' Day. Vere Cornwall Bird led the Antigua Labour Party from the trade union movement of the 1940s and became the country's first prime minister at independence in 1981. The day is marked with speeches and family gatherings, according to Wikipedia.
Is the National Day of Prayer a day off in Antigua?
In the calendars for 2026 and 2027 it is, on the second Thursday in September: 10 September 2026 and 9 September 2027. It appears in Wikipedia's list of public holidays, but not on the list the government published for 2023, which names eleven days without it.
When is Caribana on Barbuda?
Over the Whit holiday weekend, which ends on Whit Monday, a day off: 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027. Caribana is Barbuda's own carnival, separate from the one on Antigua in August, with pageants, calypso competitions and beach parties.
What does Independence Day in Antigua and Barbuda mark?
Independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981, after fourteen years as an associated state. When 1 November falls on a Saturday or a Sunday the day off moves to the Monday, so in 2026 it is kept on Monday 2 November and in 2027 on Monday 1 November. The day usually brings a parade, national awards and a food fair.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.