All the signs pointed towards Antigua. The island had warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. It would make a perfect place to hide a fleet. And so in 1784 the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to Antigua and established Great Britain’s most important Caribbean base. Little did he know that over 200 years later the same unique characteristics that attracted the Royal Navy would transform Antigua and Barbuda in one of the Caribbean’s premier tourist destinations.
The signs are still there, they just point to different things. The Trade Winds that once blew British men-of-war safely into English Harbour now fuel one of the world’s foremost maritime events, Sailing Week. The expansive, winding coastline that made Antigua difficult for outsiders to navigate is where today’s trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. The coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enemy ships, now attract snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. And the fascinating little island of Barbuda — once a scavenger’s paradise because so many ships wrecked on its reefs — is now home to one of the region’s most significant bird sanctuaries.
Temperatures generally range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall averages only 45 inches, making it the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands, and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September. Low humidity year-round.
For more information visit www.visitantiguabarbuda.com
Events & Festivals
February: Jolly Harbour Yacht Club-Valentine’s Day Regatta
March: Antigua & Barbuda Culinary Festival
April: Antigua Sailing Week
July: Antigua Carnival Celebrations
Marriage Requirements:
- There is a registration fee of EC$ 100.00 or US$ 37.00 to be paid at the Registrar’s Office.
- If the wedding ceremony is to be performed outside of the Courthouse, please note that there is a marriage officer fee of US$ 100.00.
- Ceremonies can be performed between the hours of 6:00 am and 8:00 PM.
- Every marriage must be solemnized or celebrated in the presence of two or more credible witnesses.
- The wedding is performed by the Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Assistant Registrar or any of the marriage Officers
- Valid test passport, or birth certificate and valid ID picture
- Application form is filled out and signed at the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs in St. John’s.
- All applicants must be over the age of 18 years old. If under, then written parental consent must be obtained.
- One of the parties must be resident in Antigua and Barbuda for a period of 15 days immediately preceding the date of the application for a license.
- The petition for an Ordinary License shall be accompanied by a fee of EC$ 100.00.
- Both parties must be present at the time of application.
* We try to keep this info as current as possible so please contact the local tourism office for any changes.
