Festivals Commission – By Sharon N. Simon
Festivals Commission Keeps 2026
The Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission operated within its $5.2 million budget for Carnival 2026, Chairman Elizabeth Makhoul announced Thursday.
A detailed financial report will go to Cabinet in the coming weeks, according to Makhoul, speaking on the local programme Observer AM. The fiscal cycle marks the commission’s first under newly enacted governing legislation, which took effect as festival planning was already underway.
The transition forced the commission to build a temporary administrative office from scratch while simultaneously planning and running the two-week national festival. The office was staffed with personnel drawn from the Cultural Division, the Festivals Office, the Board of Directors, and the Treasury and Finance Department.
“You’re literally structuring an organization while at the same time executing and planning Carnival,” Makhoul said.
Treasury and Finance personnel worked on-site daily to monitor expenditures, while the commission actively renegotiated vendor rates rather than accepting initial service quotes.
“These are your partners long-term,” Makhoul noted. “If the government fails, you fail, and that’s basically what it is.”
Makhoul credited increased corporate sponsorship with helping keep the festival on budget. Several major backers, including State Insurance, APUA Inet, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Unit, Coca-Cola, LIAT, and the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority, now in its third year supporting the event, expanded their contributions. Retailer Exotic Antigua also joined as a new primary sponsor for the Carnival Queen Show.
Ticket sales and overall attendance rose across most Carnival events. Calypso was the primary exception, recording a lower turnout than other shows for reasons organisers have yet to determine. Conversely, Panorama drew one of the largest crowds at Carnival City this season, which Makhoul highlighted as evidence of steelpan’s continued growth and cultural preservation.
The commission is evaluating potential schedule changes for future festivals, particularly regarding Children’s Carnival. After rain forced the youth event to move from its traditional Sunday date to a Wednesday, it drew one of its largest crowds in recent years.
“Carnival City was packed,” Makhoul said. “Maybe this Sunday doesn’t make sense anymore for Children’s Carnival.”
The strong turnout has prompted officials to consider moving Junior Soca and Junior Calypso earlier in the week as well. Both youth events saw substantial growth this year. Junior Soca expanded enough to require an elimination round for the first time. The commission also introduced a Junior Soca and Junior Road March, which it plans to retain.
Any potential schedule revisions for the 2027 festival will follow formal consultations with key stakeholders, including pageant and youth arts committees.
