Antigua Charter Yacht Show

The Antigua Charter Yacht Show is where the Caribbean's luxury charter season is launched. For one week each December, the marinas around English Harbour fill with crewed superyachts, and charter brokers from around the world tour the fleet to plan the coming winter's bookings. The 2026 show runs from 4 to 9 December.

Boats are berthed across Nelson's Dockyard Marina, the Antigua Yacht Club Marina, and Falmouth Harbour Marina, lining the docks with some of the largest and most expensive yachts afloat. The show is a trade event rather than a public festival, so on-board tours are reserved for accredited brokers and industry guests.

Its best-known feature is the Concours de Chef, a fiercely contested cooking competition in which yacht chefs plate multi-course tasting menus judged by visiting brokers. Tablescaping contests, crew parties, and seminars fill out the week. For visitors, the spectacle is the skyline of masts and superstructures crowding the historic Georgian harbour.

December also marks the start of Antigua's peak dry season, making it an ideal time to combine yacht-watching with the beaches and forts of the south coast. The overlook at Shirley Heights gives a memorable view across both harbours during show week.