Antigua hosts Festival de las Flores on 14-15 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 18:11 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSProgramme and access changes
- The organising committee stages the 10th Festival de las Flores in Antigua on 14 and 15 November 2026.
- La Hora reported on 10 November 2026 that floral installations planned for public streets and plazas were cancelled.
- UNESCO lists Antigua among the World Heritage property locations in Guatemala.
- Commemorative gardens remain scheduled from 7 to 15 November 2026.
Antigua (La Antigua) hosts the 10th Festival de las Flores from 14 to 15 November 2026, with a revised programme across Guatemala’s historic city. The organising committee has retained contests, commemorative gardens, performances and a flower market, but cancelled planned floral installations in public streets and plazas.
Festival de las Flores changes its citywide format
The festival’s main weekend remains scheduled for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026. The programme includes façade, balcony and bicycle contests, a new monumental floral-art category, artistic interventions in authorised spaces, music, dance, poetry, theatre and the Mercadito de las Flores flower market.
The current festival update says the organisers announced the format change on 10 November after discussions with the municipality about the use of public space. The Concurso Libre will not continue in its traditional form, while flowers are expected on façades, balconies and private venues rather than in the planned street and plaza installations.
The same update confirms that the event is still taking place on 14 and 15 November. It also names commemorative gardens at Plaza Jocotenango, Cervecería Catorce and El Bosque de Antigua Cerveza, with the gardens scheduled within the wider 7 to 15 November programme.
Antigua’s historic grid frames the flower programme
The festival spreads through the historic centre instead of using one dedicated venue. That setting matters because the city is part of the UNESCO-listed Antigua Guatemala World Heritage property, whose mapped locations include the urban centre and nearby historic settlements.
Antigua was built on a grid in the Panchoy Valley and preserves colonial churches, convents, civic buildings and ruins. Its streets and façades provide the surfaces for the contests, so the revised programme shifts attention from temporary public installations towards existing architecture, private gardens and authorised cultural spaces.
The Rio Times describes the festival as the city’s main November weekend and lists the flower market, outdoor music, dance, poetry, theatre and workshops. Its November event guide also confirms the 10th edition, the 14 and 15 November dates and the historic-centre setting.
November closures reshape access around the festival
A pedestrian perimeter is planned around parts of Calle Ancha de los Herreros and the area between Alameda Santa Lucía and 1a Avenida. The current visitor information names Santa Inés and La Pólvora as municipal parking areas and says a free bus will connect Santa Inés with the town centre.
Access rules allow residents and hotel guests travelling to their own parking, taxis, ride-hailing services, deliveries, tour operators and drivers carrying people with limited mobility to enter under the published arrangements. The municipality recommends RN-14 for traffic towards Guatemala City.
Visiting Antigua: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The main Festival de las Flores programme takes place across Antigua on 14 and 15 November 2026, with commemorative gardens running from 7 to 15 November.
- The format has changed for 2026: public-street and plaza installations were cancelled, while façade, balcony, bicycle and monumental-art contests remain planned.
- Visitors arriving by car should note the pedestrian perimeter and the named municipal lots at Santa Inés and La Pólvora; the published plan includes a free bus from Santa Inés to the centre.
- Antigua is a walkable historic city with cobbled streets, colonial buildings, churches, convent ruins and a regular urban grid; comfortable footwear is practical for the festival route.
- Guatemala’s official language is Spanish and its 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 Festival de las Flores take place at Antigua?
The main programme takes place on 14 and 15 November 2026. Commemorative gardens are scheduled from 7 to 15 November 2026.
What has changed at Antigua?
The organising committee cancelled planned floral installations in public streets and plazas on 10 November 2026. Contests, gardens, performances and other authorised activities remain scheduled for 14 and 15 November 2026.
Where is Antigua and how do you get there?
Antigua is in Guatemala’s Sacatepéquez area, in the Panchoy Valley. It is reached by road from Guatemala City, with RN-14 recommended for traffic towards the capital during the festival arrangements.
