Antigua events in January 2027 and the best things to do in Antigua in January

Antigua events in January 2027 start with a public holiday on New Year’s Day, run through a month the tourism authority has given over to wellness, and end with ocean racing yachts sailing into English and Falmouth Harbour after crossing the Atlantic. January is also the driest, freshest month to be on the island.

I like January in Antigua more than December. The holiday rush has gone home, the air is dry, the evenings are cool enough for a walk and the island gets on with its own rhythm again.

Here is what is on, what is confirmed, what is still to be announced, and how to plan your days around it. Where a 2027 date has not been published yet, I say so and point you to the organiser. No guessing.

What is on in Antigua in January 2027?

The main things on in Antigua in January 2027 are New Year’s Day on 1 January, Wellness Month across the whole of January, the finish of the RORC Transatlantic Race after its start from Lanzarote on 10 January, and the weekly Sunday sunset party at Shirley Heights.

Event	When	Status
New Year’s Day public holiday	Friday 1 January 2027	Confirmed
Wellness Month, Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority	All of January	Runs every January in recent years, 2027 programme to be confirmed
RORC Transatlantic Race finish	Starts Lanzarote 10 January 2027, yachts arrive in Antigua over the following weeks	Confirmed by the Royal Ocean Racing Club
Shirley Heights Sunday party	Every Sunday from late afternoon	Weekly, check the entry fee on the night
Antigua Yacht Club club racing	Weekends through the season	See the club calendar

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority publishes event news closer to the date, so check it again in December before you book anything time sensitive.

New Year’s Day in Antigua is a public holiday

New Year’s Day is a public holiday in Antigua and Barbuda, and in 2027 it falls on Friday 1 January. Banks, government offices and many shops close, so stock the fridge on 31 December if you are self catering.

The night before is the big one. Old Year’s Night brings parties at English Harbour and fireworks along the coast, and the guide to Christmas and New Year in Antigua covers where to watch them. On the morning of the first, the beaches are quiet and the island sleeps late. I would spend it in the sea.

January is Wellness Month in Antigua and Barbuda

January is Wellness Month in Antigua and Barbuda, an initiative from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority that fills the month with outdoor fitness, hiking, yoga and healthy food events. In recent years it has included free Soca aerobics and Zumba classes, yoga in the countryside, guided hikes, a meditation circle and a hiking challenge across the four corners of the island.

The 2027 programme has not been published at the time of writing. The tourism authority usually announces it at the very end of December, so follow its site and social pages if you want to join a session.

Honestly, my loves, you can make your own wellness month at LambLion. Wake up to the garden, pick a handful of herbs for your tea, swim before breakfast and eat what is in season. Lorilyn grew up that way. She told me about her grandmother’s garden, where lemongrass was medicine.

That’s lemongrass. And my grandmother would call it the fever grass. And we’ll make tea with it.

Lorilyn Walker, owner of LambLion

The LambLion gardens still grow it. I wrote about Lorilyn’s garden and the four generations behind it in the Antiguan backyard garden passed down the generations.

The RORC Transatlantic Race finishes in Antigua

The RORC Transatlantic Race finishes in Antigua, and the 2027 race starts from Marina Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on Sunday 10 January 2027. The Royal Ocean Racing Club confirms the 3,000 nautical mile course, which makes this the 13th edition of the race.

The fastest boats can cross in around a week, and the rest of the fleet keeps arriving over the following weeks. If you are on the island in the second half of January, take an afternoon at English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, where the ocean racing yachts berth. Watching crews step onto land after weeks at sea is a reminder of how big that ocean is.

The same harbour fills up again in late February for the RORC Caribbean 600, and in late April for Sailing Week. The Antigua Sailing Week accommodation guide covers that one.

Sunday nights at Shirley Heights are the island’s weekly party

Shirley Heights Lookout hosts a party every Sunday, with a steel band from around four in the afternoon, a reggae band later in the evening and a sunset over English Harbour that people fly across the world to see. It is the one weekly event most visitors make time for, in January and all year.

Sundays are busy and popular with cruise passengers. Expect a small entry fee at the gate and a crowd by sunset. If you want the view without the crowd, Thursday evenings are quieter, and any weekday afternoon gives you the lookout almost to yourself.

Is January a good time to visit Antigua? Yes, it is one of the best months

January is a very good time to visit Antigua because it is in the dry season, outside the hurricane season and full of sailing and outdoor events. Daytime temperatures sit in the high twenties Celsius, the nights are a little cooler and the sea stays in the mid twenties.

The trade off is that January is high season. Resorts are at their most expensive and flights fill early. That is exactly why I would stay in a self catering apartment and cook half my meals. The Antigua winter getaway guide goes into the weather month by month and how to keep peak season affordable.

Things to do in Antigua in January

The best things to do in Antigua in January, outside the events calendar, are the west coast beaches, Nelson’s Dockyard, a hike in the hills, the Saturday market in St John’s and a slow day on a garden porch. January weather makes all of them easy.

Swim at the calm west coast beaches

The Caribbean side of Antigua has the calmest water in January. Go early in the morning when the light is soft and the beach is yours. From the middle of the island the nearest beaches are around fifteen minutes away by car. The things to do in Antigua page lists the favourites.

Visit Nelson’s Dockyard at English Harbour

Nelson’s Dockyard is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest working Georgian dockyard in the world. In January it is full of yachts that have just crossed the Atlantic. The buildings are beautiful, and they were built by enslaved Africans. Walk it knowing that.

Hike up Mount Obama

Mount Obama in the south west is the highest point on Antigua, and January is the coolest, driest month to climb it. Start early, take water and a hat (Lionel told me off for not wearing one in the garden, and he was right, the sun is intense even in the cooler months).

Shop at the Saturday market in St John’s

The public market in St John’s is busiest on Saturday mornings, and it is where local growers sell what is in season. Go early, bring small notes and cash, and ask what things are when you do not recognise them. Most vendors love the question. The guide to apartments near St John’s covers the drive into town and parking.

Slow down in the garden

Some of my best hours on the island were spent doing nothing in the LambLion garden, under the gazebo with a cup of tea. January is a gentle month for it. The breeze is steady, the mornings are cool and the fruit trees keep you company.

Antigua in February 2027 brings the Valentine’s Regatta and the RORC Caribbean 600

Antigua in February 2027 brings two of the best known sailing events on the island, the Jolly Harbour Valentine’s Regatta and the RORC Caribbean 600. February is also one of the driest months of the year.

• Jolly Harbour Valentine’s Regatta. Held on the weekend closest to Valentine’s Day every year since 1993, so expect mid February. The 2027 dates are to be confirmed by the Jolly Harbour Yacht Club.
• RORC Caribbean 600. Starts from Fort Charlotte at the mouth of English Harbour on 22 February 2027, and loops around eleven Caribbean islands before finishing in Antigua. The start is worth watching from the hills above the harbour.
• Superyacht Challenge Antigua. The 2026 edition ran in early March. The 2027 dates were still not confirmed when I checked, so watch the Antigua Yacht Club and the organisers for news.

Where to stay in Antigua for January events

The best place to stay in Antigua for January events is a central base, because the events are spread across the island. New Year parties and the yacht arrivals are in the south at English Harbour, the market and the cruise port are in St John’s, and the calmest beaches are on the west coast.

LambLion sits in the middle of all of it, on Freemans Main Road between Sea View Farm and Freemans Village. St John’s and English Harbour are both about 20 minutes away, the nearest beaches about 15 and V. C. Bird International Airport about 9 kilometres. There are eleven apartments and studios, each with a kitchen, plus free Wi Fi, laundry and parking.

Lionel and Lorilyn Walker own and run it themselves, and the property is Green Globe certified, with solar power and rainwater harvesting. You can read the sustainability story or meet the family behind LambLion. If you are staying a few weeks into February and March, the one month in Antigua guide and the medium term rentals are worth a look. To compare every area of the island first, start with where to stay in Antigua.

January is when Antigua belongs to the people who chose it on purpose. Come for the quiet, stay for the sailing and the fruit, and leave a little lighter than you arrived.