Cabinet has approved an EC$5.2 million budget for Carnival 2026 while simultaneously moving to tighten financial controls at the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission — a dual announcement that acknowledges both the scale of investment the nation’s signature summer festival requires and the governance concerns that have shadowed the Commission for months.
The Budget
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant confirmed the EC$5.2 million allocation following Thursday’s post-Cabinet briefing. No itemised breakdown of how the funds will be distributed was provided — leaving the public without clarity on what will be spent on prize monies, staging, security, marketing, infrastructure, or the individual competitions that collectively make up the Carnival calendar.
Carnival 2026 is scheduled to run from July 25 to August 4 under the theme “Feel the Rhythm.”
Tightening the Reins
Alongside the budget approval, Cabinet was briefed on steps the Festivals Commission has taken to strengthen its financial management. A finance committee has been established within the Commission to oversee spending and ensure accountability. “The Commission established a finance committee just recently to manage its finances and to ensure that it remains accountable to the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, and it stays within its budget,” Merchant said.
Context for Tightening Fiscal Management
The new oversight measures do not arrive in a vacuum. Earlier this year, a letter from Permanent Secretary Sharon Stevens to Prime Minister Gaston Browne raised allegations of financial misconduct, unauthorised expenditure, and contracts allegedly signed in her name without her knowledge at the Festivals Commission. Those allegations were disputed by Deputy Chairman Michael Freeland.
The controversy formed part of a wider debate about the governance of the Commission, which Parliament subsequently addressed by passing the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission Bill 2026 — creating the Commission as a statutory body corporate with a stronger governance framework designed to improve financial accountability, reporting, and procurement practices. A new Commission was sworn in shortly thereafter, with Ambassador Elizabeth Makhoul assuming the role of Chairperson.
The establishment of a dedicated finance committee within the newly constituted Commission signals that the legislative reform is being matched by internal institutional change — a necessary step given the public scrutiny the Commission’s financial management attracted in the months preceding the legislation.
Whether the tightened oversight translates into a Carnival delivered on budget and on time, with full public reporting on how the EC$5.2 million was spent, will be the measure by which the new Commission’s stewardship is ultimately judged.
As the nation prepares for what promises to be a memorable Carnival season — with Antigua and Barbuda riding high on international tourism accolades, a packed calendar of cultural events, and the global spotlight ahead of CHOGM 2026 — the financial and governance foundation underpinning the celebrations has never mattered more.
