The Carefree Traveller
Antigua Carnival

The Carnival in Antigua is a fantastic celebration of happiness.
On the  1st August 1834 when slavery was abolished,  people immediately celebrated by taking
to the streets to celebrate their freedom and express their joy and happiness. Over the years
there was a return to this informal celebration until 1957 when the first official Antiguan
Carnival was organised. Since then the festival has developed into almost 2 weeks  of music,
dance and revellery. with street marches, jump-ups and formal evening shows – calypso, pan,
and Carnival Queen pageants

The Carnival takes place in the streets of St Johns, and in Carnival City or the Antigua
Recreation Ground (A.R.G) . Crowds of thousands of revellers attend the shows every evening.
Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office outside the grounds prior to or on the night of
the event.

Along side Carnival City a festival village is erected, where you can buy locally prepared BBQ
chicken, fish and burgers direct from the grill, as well as locally prepared drinks.

Carnival culminates in a massive street party called J’ouvert (meaning day break) on the  first
Monday in August. The dancing literally goes on all night and stops mid morning.
Antiguan Currency

Antigua's unit of currency is the Eastern Caribbean
dollar (EC$)  The rate of exchange is fixed at EC$2.70
to US$1.

The US dollar is often used as an unofficial parallel
currency, and prices for hotels, restaurants and car
rental are frequently quoted in US dollars. If you insist
on paying in EC$  the exchange rate usually works
out slightly in your favour.

If you are using US dollars or travellers' cheques,
check in advance whether your change will be given in
the same currency (it usually won't).

Banking hours are generally Monday to Thursday
8am-2pm and Friday 8am-4pm. Most of the banks are
in St John's.

Most hotels and restaurants automatically add a
service charge of 10 percent and government tax of 7
percent. It's always worth asking if it's included in the
quoted price or will be added on later.
Getting Around Antigua

Speedy and inexpensive buses and minibuses run between
St John's and English Harbour on the south coast and
along the west coast between St John's and Old Road.

Since Antigua is so small, and there are few steep inclines,
it is ideal cycling territory.

If you plan on renting a car for a couple of days, you'll have
to buy a local driving licence for US$20 (valid for three
months and sold by all of the car rental companies).
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July 23rd to August 2nd 2011