Cusco Festival Calendar 2025: Dates and Events

✝️ Señor de Torrechayoc

May (variable) – Urubamba Province, Urubamba District This celebration began in 1860 with the placement of a large cross in the snow and a mass commemorating the inauguration of the Urubamba–Lares railway. Years later, the cross was moved to Urubamba, where it became an object of devotion. Today, the festival includes a mass, a procession with the cross adorned in jewels, fireworks, folk dance parades, bullfights, and cockfighting.

✝️ Cruz Velacuy

May 2 A religious-pagan festival held in the countryside at night, where crosses on hilltops are venerated. The next morning, these crosses are brought to churches for blessings.

❄️ Qoyllur Rit’y – The Great Indigenous Pilgrimage

First full moon of June – Quispicanchi Province, Ocongate District Held at 4,700 meters near Mount Ausangate, this is the largest indigenous pilgrimage in the Americas. Though it appears to honor Christ, its deeper purpose is to connect humans with nature and the mountain spirits known as Apus.

Thousands of pilgrims gather at the Sinakara sanctuary. Legend says the Christ Child appeared to a highland boy, Marianito Mayta, dressed as a shepherd. After a miraculous encounter, Marianito died, and the image of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i appeared on a stone.

The festival begins on Trinity Sunday, with over 10,000 pilgrims ascending the snowy slopes accompanied by dancers in mythical costumes: chauchos, qollas, pabluchas, and ukukus (bear-like guardians of the Lord and the Apus). Ukukus maintain order during ceremonies. A group of strong queros, considered one of Peru’s purest Quechua communities, climb to 6,362 meters in search of the “Snow Star,” believed to be buried in the mountain. They return carrying blocks of ice to symbolically irrigate their lands with sacred water.

🕊️ Corpus Christi

June 11 – Cusco Celebrated nationwide since colonial times, Corpus Christi reaches its peak in Cusco. Fifteen saints and virgins from different neighborhoods are paraded to the Cathedral to greet the body of Christ, represented in a 26-kilo, 1.2-meter golden chalice.

Sixty days after Easter Sunday, each parish brings its patron saint in a grand procession, accompanied by the tolling of María Angola, Peru’s largest church bell. At night, locals gather for a vigil with traditional dishes like chiriuchu, corn bread, beer, and chicha. At dawn, the saints and virgins—dressed in richly embroidered robes—circle the main square before entering the Cathedral for homage. Later, community leaders meet to discuss local matters. The celebration ends with the saints returning to their churches amid songs and prayers.

☀️ Inti Raymi

June 24 – Cusco The most important folkloric expression in Cusco. (More details…)

💃 Mamacha Carmen Festival

July 15–16 – Paucartambo Four hours from Cusco, thousands gather in Paucartambo to honor the Virgin of Carmen, patroness of the mestizo population. The celebration begins in the main square with musicians and choirs singing in Quechua. Dancers in elaborate costumes perform choreographies depicting Peruvian history.

For five days, dance troupes (Doctorcitos, Waca Waca, Sarjas) accompany the Virgin through the town. On the main day, she is carried in procession to bless the crowd and banish demons. Dancers climb rooftops and perform acrobatic feats in colorful Inca and colonial attire. The event ends in the cemetery with tributes to the souls of the departed.

🎶 Quillabamba Festival

July 25–29 – La Convención Province, Santa Ana District Celebrates the anniversary of La Convención Province. Highlights include the crowning of the Coffee Queen (Miss Quillabamba), cockfighting tournaments, motocross competitions, and the Cocla Fair featuring national and international music performances.

🌎 Pachamama Raymi – Mother Earth Day

August 1 Held in districts like Ccatca, Maras, and Huasao (Oropesa), this Andean ritual honors Pachamama (Mother Earth) with a ceremony called “payment to the earth.” Offerings include coca leaves, chicha de jora, and huayruro seeds. The ritual marks the beginning of the Andean New Year.

🌹 Santa Rosa de Lima – Patroness of the Americas and the Philippines

August 30 (nationwide) Santa Rosa, born Isabel Flores de Oliva in 17th-century Lima, devoted her life to caring for the sick and resisting sin through penance. Her fame spread across Peru and the Philippines.

Her sanctuary in central Lima is visited by pilgrims seeking miracles. On August 30, many drop letters into the “wishing well” where she once threw the key to her cilice. Others visit the hermitage she built. Though celebrated nationwide, the town of Santa Rosa de Quives in Lima’s highlands holds a particularly Quechua-infused observance.

🙏 Señor de Huanca

September 14 – Calca Province, San Salvador District In 1675, Jesus is said to have appeared in a cave to Diego Quispe. His vivid account inspired a painter to recreate the image on stone. Recognized in 1779, the cult peaks on September 14, drawing pilgrims from Peru and Bolivia seeking physical and spiritual healing.

🕯️ All Saints’ Day & Day of the Dead

November 1–2 (nationwide) These days honor the dead with masses and cemetery visits. In coastal communities, families bring flowers; in the highlands, they share food with the spirits. This tradition blends pre-Hispanic customs with Christian elements.

In La Arena (Piura), families dress their children in fine clothes and offer sweets to children who resemble their lost loved ones. These gifts, called “angels,” are wrapped in decorated bags. At night, families hold candlelit vigils in cemeteries. In Arequipa and Junín, “angels” are replaced by baby-shaped breads called t’anta wawas.

🌺 Tikaranticuy Fair

December 23 – Cusco A vibrant fair dedicated to ornamental, medicinal, and wild plants. Held in Cusco, it transforms the city into a colorful spectacle, celebrating the region’s rich botanical heritage.

🎄 Santuranticuy Fair

December 24 – Plaza de Armas, Cusco Dating back to colonial times, Santuranticuy is one of Peru’s largest artisan fairs. Every year, religious image painters and craftsmen gather in Cusco’s main square to sell handmade nativity figures and decorations for homes and chapels across the city.

National Holidays in Peru (Non-Working Days)