Peruvian Calendar
January
Festival de Marinera. The Marinera is an elegant couple’s dance using handkerchiefs as props and Trujillo is the capital of this dance. Festival de Marinera, as it’s known in Spanish, features dance competitions, parades, and even exhibitions of the Peruvian Paso, a breed of horse recognized as part of the cultural patrimony of the Trujillo region.
February
Carnaval. Carnaval is celebrated during the whole month of February and in some regions until early March with parades and folk dancing in most highland towns, though mainly in Cajamarca, Cusco, Ayacucho, Huaraz, and Puno.
Virgen de la Candelaria. Fireworks and colorful processions honor the Virgen de la Candelaria during the first half of February in Puno on Lake Titicaca. The faithful follow images of the Virgin Mary through the streets as troupes of dancers in elaborate customers depict the struggle between good and evil (the evils always lose)
March
Semana Santa. Holy week, or the week leading up to Easter (March or April), is celebrated with religious processions countrywide, though parades in Ayacucho and Arequipa are the most elaborate.
Festival internacional de la vendimia. The festival internacional de la Vendimia or the International Harvest festival celebrates and promotes the wine region of Southern Peru. Producers allow visitors to enter their vineyards and learn about the making of Pisco and wine. A queen famously chooses to ceremoniously stomp the first grapes of the season in the Ica region.
May
Corpus Christy. Cusco’s Corpus Christi festival in late May or early June begins with a monumental Mass in the Main square surrounded by 15 statues of saints and representations of the Virgin Mary. The statues are carried from churches in nearby districts to be blessed. In the late afternoon, the beaded, brocaded 15-foot statues are hoisted aloft and promenaded around the Main square of Cusco, ending at the Catedral. Reserve as far in advance as possible a table at a second-story restaurant or bar on the plaza for a good view. At Bigfoot Machu Picchu we can easily arrange this for you.
June
Inti Raymi. Cusco’s spectacular Inti Raymi on June 24 celebrates the winter solstice a few days late for historical reasons. The fortress ruins of Sacsayhuaman form the stage for a reenactment of an Inca ritual that beseeches the sun to return, with a proverbial cast of thousands.
Qoyllur Rit’i. Thousands of local Peruvians flock to the Ausangate Glacier for Qoyllur Rit’i on June 9, a religious festival that mixes Inca and Christian rites in Sinaraka, a Cusco department.
July
Fiestas Patrias. Peru’s two-day Fiestas Patrias July 28 – 29, which celebrates the country’s independence from Spain in 1821, are marked by a military parade in Lima.
Virgen del Carmen. In mid-July, each end of the Colca Canyon has two days of celebrations to mark this festival, with singing, dancing, bullfights, food and drink, and parades in Chivay and Cabanaconde. After night falls, impressive fireworks light up in the sky.
August
Corso de Amis. August 15 is the anniversary of Arequipa’s founding and, each year, thousands take to the streets all day for the big parade, with music, dancing, traditional costumes, and decorated floats.
September
Mistura Culinary Festival. For 10 Days in mid-September, visitors can try famous Peruvian potatoes and Picarones (Donuts like dessert) or simply enjoy local and international specialties served at numerous food stalls run by celebrity chefs, small vendors, and renowned restaurants.
October
El Señor de los Milagros. Of Peru’s myriad Catholic celebrations. El Señor de Los Milagros in Lima is the largest and perhaps the most essential procession this attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees and celebrants, who crowd through the streets of the city, singing, and dancing, while vendors sell spiritual trinkets and medallions, together with a wide variety of typical dishes and sweets, including Turron de Dona Pepa, a deliciously soft and sweet paste made with eggs, butter, flour, anise, and fruit syrup.
December
La Virgen Inmaculada Concepción. Held in the first week of December, this big five-day event in Chivay and Yanque sees the performance of the local traditions with dance and processions for the saint.