Antigua and Barbuda launched the first Culinary Crawl as a new asset for gastronomic tourism
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority launched the first edition of the Culinary Crawl Experience, a new gastronomic tour intended to further highlight local cuisine, the restaurant scene and the role of food in the island state’s tourism offering. According to the tourism authority’s announcement, the premiere tour was held on Thursday evening on the northern side of Antigua, and guests visited five restaurants in one evening and tasted a range of dishes, drinks and local interpretations of Caribbean flavours. The event was organised as part of the broader Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month programme, which during May 2026 is being held as a month-long celebration of food, hospitality, local chefs and regional culinary heritage.
The first edition of the Culinary Crawl included the restaurants Charr’d, Bay House Restaurant & Bar, Weatherill’s, Sips and Tips and Bar None. According to the available information from the organisers’ announcement, the programme was conceived as a guided evening route through different hospitality venues, where participants could experience several styles of cooking and different atmospheres that shape the northern part of Antigua in a short time. In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, the tourism authority presents it as part of a strategy by which the destination is increasingly positioning itself as a Caribbean centre for culinary travel.
Five restaurants, one evening and an emphasis on local flavours
The premiere route of the Culinary Crawl Experience, according to the announcement by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, led guests through five selected restaurants on the northern side of Antigua. Charr’d, Bay House Restaurant & Bar, Weatherill’s, Sips and Tips and Bar None were presented as locations that together show the diversity of the contemporary island gastronomic offer. The organisers emphasised that the goal was to offer an experience that does not rest only on a single meal, but on an encounter with spaces, hosts, signature dishes and the hospitality energy that is developing in the destination.
According to the same source, the evening included a curated programme of tastings and encounters, and a special introductory cocktail, called Red Stripe Hibiscus, was prepared by the event sponsor Anjo’s Wholesale. In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, the tourism authority points out that culinary identity is not based only on high-end restaurants, but also on smaller local places, communities, tradition and the everyday flavours of the islands.
Shermain Jeremy, special projects and events manager at the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, stated, according to the organisers’ announcement, that the first edition of the Culinary Crawl shows why Antigua and Barbuda has gained recognition as one of the most interesting new culinary destinations in the Caribbean. She emphasised that Culinary Month is not just a series of dinners, but an opportunity to celebrate chefs, local gastronomic places, communities and authentic flavours that tell the story of the country’s identity. Such a message fits into a trend in which tourism organisations increasingly emphasise food as part of a cultural experience, and not only as an accompanying travel service.
Culinary Month grows into a broader tourism programme
Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month is held during May 2026, and the official destination website states that the programme runs from 1 to 31 May. According to information from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the initiative was launched in 2023 and has since developed as an annual gastronomic platform that brings together local hospitality providers, chefs, the agricultural sector, tourism stakeholders and guest cooks of Caribbean origin. In this year’s edition, the emphasis is placed on the local food of Antigua and Barbuda, island tradition, contemporary restaurant concepts and collaborations with chefs from the wider Caribbean diaspora.
The official programme for May 2026 includes Restaurant Week, the Eat Like a Local campaign, FAB Fest, culinary dinners, themed barbecues, a professional forum and a closing beach event. According to data published on the Visit Antigua & Barbuda website, Restaurant Week runs from 3 to 17 May and includes more than 50 local restaurants with prix-fixe menus priced at 25, 50 and 75 US dollars. Such a model enables visitors and local guests to compare different restaurants, get to know a wider range of local and contemporary dishes and more easily plan a gastronomic tour of the island.
The programme, according to official announcements, also highlights the Caribbean Food Forum, planned for 21 May at the John E. St. Luce Finance and Conference Centre, in cooperation with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. It is a regional gathering dedicated to food, hospitality and tourism, which shows that Culinary Month is not conceived only as a series of events for the wider public, but also as a platform for an industry conversation about the future of Caribbean gastronomy.
From Restaurant Week to FAB Fest
After the premiere Culinary Crawl, the Culinary Month programme continues with a series of events throughout Antigua. According to the announcement on the launch of the Culinary Crawl Experience, the schedule includes the Southside Culinary Crawl on 14 May, the Eat Like a Local Tour on 16 May and the English Harbour Culinary Crawl on 17 May. These events expand the tour concept to different parts of the island and enable the gastronomic offer to be presented through specific neighbourhoods, restaurant zones and local stories. For travellers planning to arrive during May, the programme of such tours can also be connected with the practical choice of where to stay, including accommodation close to the event venues.
The official Culinary Month programme particularly singles out FAB Fest, or Food, Art & Beverage Fest, which is held on 23 May at the Cedar Valley Golf Course. According to the Visit Antigua & Barbuda announcement, the event includes demonstrations by chefs and mixologists, local food vendors, music, performances, artists and additional content. In this way, gastronomy is connected with art, entertainment and the local creative scene, which is important for destinations that want to broaden the perception of tourism beyond beaches and classic resort content. Antigua and Barbuda often highlights its coastline and beaches in official tourism communication, but Culinary Month shows an effort to present visitors with the broader cultural rhythm of the islands as well.
Special collaborative dinners have also been announced in the programme. According to official information, on 22 May at Rokuni in Sugar Ridge, chefs Andi Oliver, Kareem Roberts and Kerth Gumbs will take part, while on 27 May at Catherine’s Café on Pigeon Point Beach, a dinner with Paul Carmichael, Tristen Epps and Claude Lewis is planned. For 29 May, a charity dinner dedicated to Caribbean female chefs has been announced, with Brigette Joseph, Maurine Bowers, Nina Compton and Suzanne Barr, at Moon Gate Hotel & Spa. The finale of Culinary Month is planned for 30 May at Wild Tamarind Restaurant, with a beach party and cookout with chef Devan Rajkumar, executive chef Amalin Raj and local pastry chefs.
Guest chefs and the Caribbean culinary diaspora
In the announcement of the 2026 programme, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority emphasised that this year’s guest chefs are exclusively of Caribbean origin or strongly connected with Caribbean gastronomic heritage. Among the announced names are British television chef personality Andi Oliver, chef Kareem Roberts, chef and winner of the show Chopped Claude Lewis, Nina Compton from the restaurant Compère Lapin, Tristen Epps-Long, associated with the title of winner of season 22 of Top Chef, and Paul Carmichael, known for his work in highly rated Caribbean restaurants. According to the tourism authority’s announcement, the goal is to present the Caribbean through different professional perspectives, from fine dining to contemporary interpretations of traditional dishes.
Such a selection of guest chefs has broader promotional significance. Caribbean cuisine is often reduced in the global tourism space to a few recognisable dishes and stereotypical flavours, while programmes such as Culinary Month seek to show its regional diversity, migration stories, historical influences and contemporary techniques. Antigua and Barbuda uses gastronomy as a way of connecting local chefs with the Caribbean diaspora in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. According to the official announcement, precisely that combination of local and guest professionals should further raise the destination’s visibility in the culinary tourism segment.
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment Charles Fernandez stated in the official announcement of Culinary Month 2026 that the initiative has grown in popularity since its launch three years ago and that the original goal was to highlight the culture, diverse food and culinary excellence of Antigua and Barbuda. According to his words, the programme raises the standard for guests every year and gives space to local chefs and Caribbean guests who come to cook in celebration of regional cuisine. This statement shows how the government and the tourism authority treat gastronomy as a strategic element of destination branding, and not only as a seasonal promotional activity.
Why food is increasingly important in destination promotion
The Culinary Crawl Experience fits into a global trend in which destinations seek to extend visitors’ interest beyond classic attractions and offer experiences connected with local identity. Gastronomy is especially effective in that sense because it connects agriculture, fisheries, markets, family recipes, the history of migration, hospitality and the contemporary entrepreneurial sector. According to the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Culinary Month is conceived precisely as a meeting point for these different layers, where local communities and restaurants are not presented only as a service to visitors, but as carriers of cultural content.
Antigua and Barbuda is already positioned in official tourism communication as a destination with two islands, numerous beaches, maritime tradition, festivals and annual events. The culinary programme adds a new level to that offer because it motivates travellers to plan their visit around specific dates, dinners, festivals and routes. This is particularly important for the May calendar, in which organised events can build on the existing tourism infrastructure, hotels, restaurants and local transport providers. For visitors coming specifically because of Culinary Month, it is useful to consider in advance accommodation offers in Antigua in relation to the event schedule.
According to the official Culinary Month website, Antigua and Barbuda also highlights the recognition Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2025, awarded within the World Culinary Awards. Although such recognitions are often used for promotional purposes, they can help destinations increase international visibility and attract media attention in specialised tourism segments. In this case, the tourism authority connects the recognition with the growth of Culinary Month and new formats, including Culinary Crawl. Such an approach shows that tourism promotion increasingly relies on thematic experiences that can be repeated, expanded and upgraded from year to year.
Restaurants and local stakeholders at the centre of the programme
One of the more important messages of the first Culinary Crawl Experience is the inclusion of local hospitality providers in a format that gives them visibility beyond an individual reservation or a classic restaurant review. When five locations are connected in one evening, each restaurant becomes part of a shared story about the destination, and not only a separate place on the gastronomic map. According to the tourism authority’s announcement, this is precisely one of the goals of the programme: to bring guests closer to the people and spaces that shape the growing culinary identity of Antigua and Barbuda. In tourism that is increasingly based on experiences, such cooperation can have a long-term effect on the reputation of the restaurant scene.
The northern side of Antigua, where the first edition was held, was presented in this event as one of the zones where a cross-section of the contemporary local offer can be experienced. The organisers have also announced the continuation of tours in other parts of the island, which suggests that the Culinary Crawl should not remain a one-off promotion. At present, however, the tourism authority publicly presents it above all as part of this year’s May programme and as a means of further strengthening local restaurants, chefs and tourism partners.
For destinations such as Antigua and Barbuda, where tourism relies on international arrivals, cruising, resort offers, beaches and events, local gastronomy can help create a stronger connection between visitors and the community. Restaurants, bars and smaller gastronomic venues are often places where everyday life and the tourist experience meet most directly. Culinary Crawl therefore has a dual function: it offers guests a practical and attractive way to taste several locations, and it gives local hospitality providers a shared platform for promotion at a time when attention is focused on food.
May as a month of culinary travel
According to the published schedule, Culinary Month 2026 continues until the end of May with a series of events that combine dinners, festivals, professional programmes and themed tours. After the northern Culinary Crawl, new tours and events are planned that should further present different parts of Antigua and Barbuda as a broader gastronomic destination. The organisers emphasise local flavours, authentic stories and cooperation with chefs, but also the economic benefit for hospitality providers and tourism stakeholders. According to available information, the programme is not limited to one type of audience, but is open to everyone who wants to get to know the food, drinks, settings and people connected with island cuisine.
By launching the Culinary Crawl Experience, Antigua and Barbuda added a new format to an already extensive May calendar. The premiere tour showed how several restaurants can be connected into one evening story, while the rest of Culinary Month continues to expand the emphasis on Restaurant Week, FAB Fest, guest chefs and local gastronomic tours. For a destination that wants to establish itself as a Caribbean culinary destination, such events have value only if they manage to maintain a balance between promotion and authenticity. According to the messages of the tourism authority, precisely that balance between the local community, hospitality and the tourist experience is the centre of this year’s programme.
Sources:
- Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority / Visit Antigua & Barbuda – official announcement of the Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month 2026 programme, including duration, goals, guest chefs and the statement by the minister of tourism (link)
- Visit Antigua & Barbuda – official overview of Restaurant Week and events within Culinary Month, including dates, locations and prix-fixe menu prices (link)
- Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month – official programme website, information about Culinary Month, chefs and the recognition Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2025 (link)
- eTurboNews – report on the first Culinary Crawl Experience, participating restaurants, Shermain Jeremy’s statement and the announced continuations of the programme (link)