The best place to stay for Antigua Art Week is the middle of the island. Antigua and Barbuda Art Week runs from 11 to 18 November 2026, and its venues are spread from the airport in the north to English Harbour in the south and Ffryes Beach in the south west, with St John’s in between. Stay central and nothing on the programme is more than about half an hour away.
Most Art Week accommodation advice tells you to stay in St John’s. I see why. The opening, three galleries and both bus tours start at Redcliffe Quay. But Art Week is not a St John’s festival. Its best studio is in English Harbour, its sustainable art workshop is in John Hughes, its beach painting night is on the south west coast, and its biggest free evening is up at Bay Gardens. Pick your base for the whole week, not the first night.
This is my guide to Antigua Art Week accommodation, area by area, with real drive times. For the events themselves, the times, prices and how to book, read the full Art Week 2026 programme.
The Antigua Art Week venues sit in five parts of the island
The Antigua Art Week 2026 venues fall into five clusters, according to the official Art Trail and events calendar. St John’s holds the most, the north has the airport and Bay Gardens, the centre has Golden Grove and John Hughes, the south has English Harbour, and the south west has Dennis’s above Ffryes Beach.
| Area | Art Week venues there | What happens there |
|---|---|---|
| St John’s | Redcliffe Quay (Quay Studio, The Barracks, E.T. Henry Gallery), Heritage Quay, Makŏ Fine Art Gallery on Cross Street, Julee’s Restaurant, Henré Designs in Belmont, Imagistic Counselling Centre on Wireless Road | The opening, the main exhibition, both bus tour departures, the artisan market, every Out of the Krokus Bag event, mask making and puppets, the closing Jam Bull |
| North | V. C. Bird International Airport, Local Shop and Tasting Bar at Bay Gardens Caribbean Village Mall, Hodges Bay | The Rising Stars of Art, Battle of Art Antigua, Bind Your Story, Art After Dark stop |
| Centre | Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies in Golden Grove, Good Humans 268 in John Hughes | The student exhibition and the sustainable art workshop |
| South | Rotten Hill Studio, English Harbour | A daytime bus tour stop, and open studio days |
| South west | Dennis’s Beach Bar and Restaurant, Ffryes Beach | Flavours and Canvas, and a Dual Thresholds door |
Look at that list and the answer is obvious. A base on any single coast leaves one cluster an hour away. A base in the middle keeps them all close.
Which area of Antigua is best to stay in for Art Week?
Central Antigua is the best area to stay in for Art Week if you want to reach every venue, St John’s is best if you only plan to attend the opening and the Redcliffe Quay galleries, and the beach areas suit people who want Art Week as a side trip from a beach holiday. This is how each area works for the week. For the whole island outside Art Week, see my guide to where to stay in Antigua.
Staying in St John’s puts the opening and the galleries within walking distance
Staying in St John’s lets you walk to Redcliffe Quay, Heritage Quay and Makŏ Fine Art Gallery, which covers the opening night, the main exhibition at the E.T. Henry Gallery, both bus tour departures and every event in the Out of the Krokus Bag programme. That is a lot of Art Week on foot.
The catch is the rest of your trip. St John’s is the capital and a cruise port, so it is busy in the day and has no beach of its own, and the choice of self catering places in town is small. You will still need a car or taxis for John Hughes, English Harbour and Dennis’s.
Staying at Dickenson Bay or Runaway Bay gives you a beach and a short drive to town
Staying at Dickenson Bay or Runaway Bay, on the north west coast just above St John’s, gives you a calm swimming beach on the doorstep and a short drive to Redcliffe Quay and Bay Gardens. This is resort country, so expect higher prices and meals out. English Harbour and Ffryes Beach are each the best part of an hour away, so the south of the programme becomes a day trip.
Staying in English Harbour suits the studio crowd and the sailors
Staying in English Harbour or Falmouth Harbour puts you next to Rotten Hill Studio, Nelson’s Dockyard and Shirley Heights, the most beautiful corner of the island. It is also the furthest point from St John’s, so every evening event at Makŏ and Redcliffe Quay is a long drive on dark roads. Good for a slow art week with two or three trips to town. Hard work for the full programme.
Staying on the west coast near Jolly Harbour suits Flavours and Canvas and the beaches
Staying on the west coast near Jolly Harbour puts you a few minutes from Dennis’s and Ffryes Beach for Flavours and Canvas, with some of the island’s calmest swimming water. St John’s is around 30 minutes north, and English Harbour is about the same distance south east, so you will drive most days.
Staying in central Antigua is best for reaching every Art Week venue
Staying in central Antigua is best for Art Week because the middle of the island is roughly the same short drive from every venue cluster. You give up a beach on the doorstep. You gain quiet nights, lower prices, and the freedom to say yes to an evening in St John’s, a morning in English Harbour and a sunset on the west coast without planning your week around the road.
That is where LambLion is. Eleven self catering apartments on Freemans Main Road in Belleview Estate, between the villages of Sea View Farm and Freemans, run by Lionel and Lorilyn Walker. I stayed there and watched the island go about its day from the garden. No resort strip, no cruise crowds, just a family, their fruit trees, and the road out to everywhere. LambLion is also Green Globe certified, with solar power and rainwater harvesting, which matters to me as much as the location. You can read my full review on Hold The Throne.
How long does it take to drive from LambLion to each Art Week venue?
Driving from LambLion in central Antigua to the Art Week venues takes between about 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the venue and the traffic. These are my estimates for a normal day, worked out from road distances, with a little extra for Antigua’s traffic. Allow more at the St John’s school and work rush, roughly 7.30am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm.
| From LambLion to | Distance by road | Drive time, about | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Hughes (Good Humans 268) | 9.5 km | 15 minutes | Sustainable art workshop, 12 November |
| Redcliffe Quay, St John’s | 9 km | 20 minutes | Opening, galleries, both bus tours |
| Makŏ Fine Art Gallery, Cross Street | 9 km | 20 minutes | Out of the Krokus Bag, all week |
| Golden Grove (College of Advanced Studies) | 10.5 km | 20 minutes | Student exhibition |
| Wireless Road | 8.5 km | 20 minutes | Creative Wellness workshop, 17 November |
| V. C. Bird International Airport | 11.5 km | 20 minutes | Rising Stars of Art, and your flight |
| Bay Gardens, Hodges Bay | 13 km | 25 minutes | Battle of Art, Bind Your Story |
| English Harbour (Rotten Hill Studio) | 14 km | 25 minutes | Open studio, Nelson’s Dockyard |
| Ffryes Beach (Dennis’s) | 14 km | 25 to 30 minutes | Flavours and Canvas, 14 November |
Compare that with a north coast resort, where English Harbour and Ffryes Beach are each the best part of an hour. Over eight days, a central base saves you hours in the car.
Why does a self catering apartment suit a week of art?
A self catering apartment suits Art Week because the programme runs at odd hours, from a 9am bus tour to a 10pm night tour, and a kitchen lets you eat when the art lets you, not when a restaurant opens. You also save real money over eight days, you have space to lay out a sketchbook, and you have a fridge for the cold drink you will want after an afternoon at Heritage Quay.
At LambLion it goes further than a kitchen. The garden is full of fruit trees and herbs, and guests can pick what is in season. I wrote about harvesting fruit, vegetables and herbs at LambLion for My Ideal World. Lionel was very clear about that when he walked me round.
We say that our guests can pick foods when they’re in season. Not put any restrictions on anybody.
Lionel Walker, owner of LambLion
By the end of my week there I had not been to the supermarket once. Lorilyn showed me the spinach she cuts for the island’s Sunday breakfast.
We have what we call Antiguan breakfast, and it’s usually with saltfish and what we call chop up. Chop up is usually the eggplant, maybe pumpkin and some spinach chopped together.
Lorilyn Walker, owner of LambLion
Sunday 15 November is the mask making and puppet day at Julee’s. Make it a chop up morning first. That is Antigua on a plate before Antigua on a canvas.
There is a lesson in that garden for anyone who makes things. Lionel plants from what he already has and lets the land set the pace. When he showed me how to pour a coconut without losing the water, he said all these things teach you patience. Art Week is the same. The good work is in the small rooms, on the slow walk between galleries, not in a rush to tick off the list.
Want a quiet central base for Art Week? Check your dates for 11 to 18 November, or message Lionel and Lorilyn and they will reply fast.
Which LambLion apartment is right for an Art Week stay?
LambLion has three apartment types, studios, one bedroom apartments and two bedroom apartments, and every one has a kitchen or kitchenette, free Wi Fi and free parking, with laundry on site. The right one depends on who you are travelling with and how much you plan to cook.
- A studio suits a solo artist or a couple out at events most evenings. A bed, a kitchenette, a desk and a balcony door to the garden.
- A one bedroom apartment suits a couple who want a separate living room and a full kitchen for proper cooking.
- A two bedroom apartment suits friends or a family sharing the week, each with their own room and one shared kitchen.
See every layout and the current rates on the apartments page, or look through the photo gallery. Book two nights or more directly and you get 15% off the nightly rate, which on an eight night Art Week stay adds up to more than a night free.
How do you get around Antigua at night during Art Week?
The safest way to get around Antigua at night during Art Week is a hire car if you are confident driving on the left, or a taxi with the fare and the pickup time agreed before you set off. Many of the best events finish at 9pm or 10pm, and roads outside St John’s are dark, often with no pavement, so do not plan on walking between venues after sunset.
- Taxis in Antigua are not metered. Agree the price first, and ask the driver to return for you at a set time.
- If you hire a car, collect it at the airport and park free at LambLion. You will want it for English Harbour and Dennis’s.
- For Art After Dark on 17 November, park once near Redcliffe Quay and let the bus do the driving until 10pm.
- Bring a torch on your phone. Garden paths and car parks are dark once the sun goes down, which is around 5.45pm in November.
When should you book accommodation for Antigua Art Week?
Book your Antigua Art Week accommodation now, because November 2026 is an unusually busy month on the island. CHOGM 2026, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, runs from 1 to 4 November, Art Week follows from 11 to 18 November, and the Antigua Charter Yacht Show arrives in early December. Small places fill first.
Book the paid Art Week events at the same time. The Art Trail bus tours and Flavours and Canvas are sold on the TickeTing app or through the Tourism Authority, and every workshop at Makŏ Fine Art Gallery is by RSVP on 783 3000 with limited places. My full Art Week 2026 programme has every contact.
If you are coming for CHOGM and staying on for Art Week, or flying in for Art Week and staying to the Yacht Show, ask about LambLion’s medium term stays. A month in the middle of the island is a very different trip from a week in a resort. I wrote about that in one month in Antigua.
Which galleries and studios in Antigua can you visit during your stay?
The galleries and studios you can visit in Antigua during Art Week are listed on the official Art Trail, and most are working galleries with their own hours through the rest of the year. Quay Studio and Art Gallery, The Barracks and the E.T. Henry Gallery are side by side at Redcliffe Quay. Makŏ Fine Art Gallery, founded by the artist Makŏ Williams, is on Cross Street. Rotten Hill Studio is in English Harbour. The Art and Cultural Village runs at Julee’s Restaurant every day of Art Week, 10am to 9pm.
Outside Art Week, call ahead before you drive to any studio. Small galleries keep small hours. And if you love the paintings, buy one. Money that goes straight to an Antiguan artist stays on the island, which is more than most holiday spending can say.
This is how I would plan eight days of Art Week from a central base
An eight day Art Week stay from central Antigua can take in nearly the whole programme with no more than one long drive a day. This is the plan I would follow, built on the published full Art Week 2026 programme.
- Wednesday 11 November. Arrive, shop for basics, pick some herbs. Drive to Redcliffe Quay for the Symphony of Colours opening at 6.30pm.
- Thursday 12 November. Rising Stars of Art at the airport at 9am, the College of Advanced Studies in Golden Grove, then Good Humans 268 in John Hughes at 12.30pm, fifteen minutes from home.
- Friday 13 November. The daytime Art Trail bus tour, 9am to 3pm from Redcliffe Quay. Open mic at Makŏ at 6pm.
- Saturday 14 November. Heritage Quay Artisan Market at 2pm, Battle of Art at Bay Gardens at 4pm, or Flavours and Canvas at Dennis’s at 6pm.
- Sunday 15 November. Antiguan breakfast at home. West African mask making at Julee’s at 2pm, Puppet Village at 5pm.
- Monday 16 November. Beach day, or one of the other things to do in Antigua. Artists’ Lecture at Makŏ at 6pm.
- Tuesday 17 November. English Harbour by day. The closing Jam Bull Experience at Makŏ, or Art After Dark from Redcliffe Quay, both from about 6pm.
- Wednesday 18 November. A last slow walk round the Redcliffe Quay galleries before your flight. The airport is about 20 minutes away.
Art Week rewards the people who stay long enough to see it properly. Give it the whole eight days, and give yourself a garden to return to at night.
Book your Art Week stay in central Antigua
Eleven self catering apartments, about 20 minutes from Redcliffe Quay and the airport. Book two nights or more directly and get 15% off the nightly rate.