Festivals in Cusco, Peru
Cusco is fun to visit, especially during one of its many festivals.
Parades, processionals and parties make up the traditional festivals in Cusco. Andean culture and Inca celebrations merge with Spanish Christianity for its festivals.
Cusco makes an excellent base from which to explore mind-boggling wonders like Machu Picchu, and The Sacred Valley. However, Cusco is in itself a terrific city to visit, with many sights to see, fun bars and restaurants, and collections of Inca and Spanish religious art in museums and churches.
There are many festivals held right Cusco that are fun to watch. If you're planning a trip to Peru, you can time your stay in Cusco to coincide with any of these festivals. This is a list of my favorite festivals in Cusco, Peru:
- Lord of Tremors - A festival that celebrates the merge of Peruvian and Christian religions. It honors the traditional idea that in 1650 a Christ of the Good Death stopped an earthquake that threatened to level Cusco. The Lord of Tremors festival is held in the last week of March and the first week of April.
- Cusco Beer Festival - This festival is a huge draw. It's been in late May, sometimes June, and people travel to Cusco from all over to be part of the Beer Festival. Musicians play live music throughout the afternoon and night. The Beer Festival gets pretty crowded, due to its popularity.
- Corpus Christi - The Cusco festival of Corpus Christi is the most impressive in all of Peru. A processional of saints and virgins from all over the region meet up in Cusco and come together in the main cathedral, late in the morning. There, they ceremonially "greet" the risen Christ. The Plaza de Armas is very, very festive and crowded at this time, with a lot of traditional food, bread, and beer to be consumed. Corpus Christi in Cusco is held two months after Easter Sunday, sometime in June.
- Inti Raymi - This festival, the Inca Festival of the Sun, dates back to the Inca Empire as a celebration of the Sun God. The vivid colors Peruvians wear throughout the procession contrast, stunningly, with the greyish rocks of the buildings and ruins. This is, in many opinions, the most visually beautiful of all the Andean festivals. The Inca Festival of the Sun is held on June 24, or the Winter Solstice in the Southern hemisphere.
- All Saints Day - Celebrating the memory of the dead, All Saints Day in Peru merges Inca and Christian elements. Visits to cemeteries are involved, with flowers and food being left there. Typically held on November 1.
- Christmas in Cusco - Christmas in Peru combines elements of Inca, Andean and Christian traditions and religions. The Christian missionaries allowed this, to make Christianity seem more palatable to the Inca people; many gods were merged into one or renamed as Christian saints. Today, Christmas in Cusco has these merged traditions, seen by the nativity scenes in front yards and churches. Christmas in Cusco is held December 24-25, ending with Santuranticuy; the sale of the saints.
Carnivales are huge, terrific festivals in many South American countries, but not so much in Peru. Still, the Carnivale is worth seeing, if travel plans include Cusco in February. Keep in mind that the winter months of January and February are the rainy season here.
Related, on Suite 101:
Top Luxury Hotels in Cusco, Peru
The Garden House in Cusco, Peru
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