Antigua hosts Festival of Flowers art show on 25 October

Antigua (La Antigua) will host a Festival of Flowers art exhibition on 25 October 2026, one of the early public dates in the city's tenth annual programme in Guatemala. The exhibition will present more than 200 works inspired by the Ciudad Floreciente theme, linking a contemporary arts event with the historic urban setting.

Festival of Flowers brings art to Antigua on 25 October

The Festival of Flowers is scheduled across October and November 2026, with the main celebration taking place on 14 and 15 November. Its advance programme begins with Cocinando con Flores on 18 October, followed by the art exhibition on 25 October and a Botánica Fashion Show at the Convent of Santa Clara on 4 November.

The exhibition is listed as a public presentation of more than 200 works based on Ciudad Floreciente, the theme announced for the tenth edition. The programme also lists commemorative gardens from 7 to 15 November, a trail run at Finca Carmona on 8 November and a car parade through the colonial city's main streets on 13 November. The published festival programme gives the dates and locations stated for these activities.

Antigua's historic streets frame the flower festival

The event takes place in a city whose surviving layout follows a grid inspired by the Italian Renaissance. UNESCO says the third settlement in the Valley of Panchoy was inaugurated in March 1543, while most surviving civil, religious and civic buildings date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The Santa Marta earthquakes destroyed much of the town in 1773, after which the capital moved to the site of modern Guatemala City. That history helps explain the programme's emphasis on streets, facades, plazas and historic buildings rather than a single enclosed venue. The city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, and UNESCO records its protected urban core at 1,530.17 metres above sea level. The UNESCO World Heritage record identifies the preserved grid and Baroque monuments as central features of the site.

Visiting Antigua: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Festival of Flowers art exhibition is scheduled for 25 October 2026 in Antigua; the published programme does not give a separate exhibition venue.
• The wider programme continues with commemorative gardens from 7 to 15 November 2026, while the main Festival of Flowers takes place on 14 and 15 November 2026.
• Activities are distributed around the historic city, including the Convent of Santa Clara, Finca Carmona and the main streets for the car parade.
• Visitors encounter a preserved grid of streets, colonial buildings, ruins, plazas and cobbled surfaces within the World Heritage urban area.
• Antigua is in Guatemala, where Spanish is the official language and the national currency is the quetzal.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Antigua

When does the Festival of Flowers take place at Antigua?

The art exhibition is scheduled for 25 October 2026. The main Festival of Flowers programme follows on 14 and 15 November 2026.

What is the Festival of Flowers programme in Antigua?

It is a cultural programme combining floral installations, art, gardens, a trail run and other activities. The 2026 edition is organised around the Ciudad Floreciente theme.

Where is Antigua and how do you get there?

Antigua is a historic city in Guatemala's central highlands and lies in the Valley of Panchoy. The city is reached by road from Guatemala City through San Lucas Sacatepéquez.