Cusco

Cusco Carnivals

• Altitude: 11,152 ft
• Weather: From 44°F to 66°F.
• Celebration Date: Every Sunday in February.
• Description:This festivity is characterized by bringing together the people of Cusco from all social classes to celebrate and play. The main attraction of this celebration is the “yunzas” or tree-cutting rituals, as well as games with water, talcum powder, and mixed colors.

Puno

Virgen de la Candelaria

• Altitude: 12,549 ft above sea level
• Weather: From 41°F to 59°F.
• Celebration Date: The first two weeks of February.
• Description: This is the largest patronal festival in all of Peru, with over 40,000 dancers and 9,000 musicians from the entire region participating, dressed in the most vibrant and colorful costumes. Due to its great magnitude and significance, attracting thousands of national and foreign tourists, it has been declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Arequipa

Arequipa Carnivals

• Altitude: 7,661 ft
• Weather: From 53°F to 73°F.
• Celebration Date: Late February to early March.
• Description: The famous Carnivals of Arequipa are an important festivity that includes various activities, such as traditional dances exclusive to the region and the essential presence of water games. In the Arequipa version, instead of using balloons, they use eggshells filled with water and colored dyes for playful splashing and painting.

Cusco

Easter

• Altitude: 11,024 ft
• Weather: From 41°F to 68°F
• Celebration Date: April 2nd to April 8th, 2023
• Description:Holy Week is an important religious celebration that commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each day brings a different activity, from the Lord of the Tremors to Palm Sunday, depending on each city.

Arequipa

Easter

• Altitude: 12,556 ft
• Weather: From 41°F to 59°F
• Celebration Date: April 2nd to April 8th, 2023
• Description: What sets apart this celebration in Arequipa from others nationally and internationally is the Easter Sunday. On this day, the traditional and main event is the burning of Judas in the Main Square, which is best enjoyed from the Yanahuara Viewpoint as the burning of the effigy of Judas is accompanied by fireworks. Special dishes are also prepared on this day, with the highlight being the “Caldo de Pascua,” a soup made with seven types of meat.

Cusco

Inti Raymi

• Altitude: 11,152 ft
• Weather: From 34°F to 68°F.
• Celebration Date: June 24th
• Description:Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun is one of the most important celebrations in Cusco, where the winter solstice is commemorated. During this festival, the Inca performs a ritual to honor the most important deity of Tahuantinsuyo, the sun.

Cusco

Corpus Christi

• Altitude:11,152 ft
• Weather: From 34°F to 68°F.
• Celebration Date: 9 weeks after Holy Thursday (Easter Week)
• Description: Cusco’s Corpus Christi is a religious festival with a rich tradition in the imperial city, bringing together customs of the native peoples in one place. It is a beautiful spectacle that amazes both locals and visitors alike.

Cusco

Torrechayoc Celebration

• Altitude: 9,386 ft
• Weather: From 43°F to 73°F.
• Celebration Date: From May 31st (one month)
• Description: It is one of the major religious festivals celebrated in Urubamba, dedicated to the veneration of the Crucified Christ on the enormous cross.
• How it is celebrated: Masses, castle burnings, fireworks, dances, novenas, bull runs, and much more take place. While the celebration lasts for almost a month, its central day is June 9th.

Cusco

Andean New Year

• Altitude: 9,386 ft
• Weather: From 43°F to 73°F.
• Celebration Date: Every June 21st.
• Description: In the Peruvian, Bolivian, and Chilean highlands, this ceremony, unique to the Aymara culture, is celebrated, reminding us of the ancestral connection between the sun and Pachamama (Mother Earth).
• How it is celebrated It begins early in the morning with rituals and offerings to Pachamama. When the first rays of the day appear, spectators place their palms facing the sun to feel the energy of the sun deity.

Cusco, Puno y Arequipa

Independence Day

• Altitude: 11,023 ft
• Weather: From 41°F to 68°F
• Celebration Date: July 28th
• Description:It commemorates the declaration of independence made by Don José de San Martín in 1821. The hoisting of flags on houses, buildings, and even important monuments can be observed. Central events include school parades and street processions with traditional dances.

Machu Picchu

Anniversary of Machu Picchu

• Altitude: 2,430 msnm
• Weather: De 17°C a 19°C
• Celebration Date: 07 de julio
• Description: Se celebra que haya sido seleccionada como una de las nuevas siete maravillas del mundo moderno.

Cusco

Virgen del Carmen de Paucartambo Celebration

• Altitude:9,534 ft
• Weather: 55.9°F
• Celebration Date: July 15th to July 19th
• Description: The Virgin of Carmen or Mamacha Carmen, affectionately called in Paucartambo, is celebrated in many cities in Peru, Latin America, and Spain. Without a doubt, the celebration in this picturesque province of Cusco is an experience not to be missed. How it’s celebrated: The Feast of the Virgin of Carmen begins on July 15th and ends on July 19th. Participants celebrate the start with the burst of a rocket, which is answered by the ringing of bells and the performance of musical bands. Shortly after, the procession begins, where the dancers take center stage, each with their own musical ensemble and the “Cera Apaycuy” or “Transfer of Wax” in which flowers are carried as gifts to the Virgin of Carmen to decorate her altar and image.

Cusco

Pachamama Raymi (Day of Mother Earth)

• Altitude: 11,152 ft
• Weather:From 36°F to 68°F
• Celebration Date: First week of August
• Description: In this celebration, the people of Cusco pay homage to Mother Earth as a thanksgiving for the bountiful harvests of the year that sustain their familie
• How it is celebrated:The festivity begins on August 1st, a day when farmers refrain from working the land to allow it to rest and initiate the payment ritual. In this ceremony called “haywasqa” (payment to the earth) led by an Andean priest known as “Pako,” food items worked and produced by Mother Earth are used, such as huayruro seeds, coca leaves, chicha de jora, and other beverages.

Cusco

Virgen Asunta en Qoya Celebration

• Altitude: 9,715 ft
• Weather: From 39°F to 59°F
• Celebration Date: August 14th to August 17th
• Description: It is a 4-day celebration, with the central day being the 15th, where 27 troupes of different dances from Qoya participate.
• How it is celebrated: The history dates back to the year 1951 when the head and hands of the Virgin of Qoya were stolen. Some time later, a villager recognized the stolen parts in the image of a neighboring town, and they were returned after a judicial process. Today, three images of “Mamacha Asunta” (as her faithful affectionately refer to her) are venerated: one restored after the theft, one reconstructed with the recovered parts, and one donated in 1960.