Senor de Colloritty is held in the first week of June.

Corpus Christi - more photos to the bottom right.

Above, and below. Inti Raymi is held annually at the spectacular fortress of Sacsayhuaman.

Warachikuy above, and below.

Senor de los Milagros is celebrated in October each year. (photo from Prom Peru)

Peru is a nation with a rich history and a very vibrant present. Sometimes there are special events happening, and you just stumble upon it. With our cultural events calendar, you can plan your trip to Peru with more precision.

The calendar is found below - upcoming highlights include:

Warachikuy 19 September 2006
This festival dates from the Incas and is now celebrated by young men attending Ciencias High School. Ciencias is located in Plaza San Francisco. It was something like an "initiation" ceremony in which young men got their first Wara (breechcloth). In order to get the "wara" the young men had to pass different athletic tests and sham battles; after successfully passing all tests they got their citizenship and ability for getting married and going to battle.

Corpus Christi - June 15th 2006
The celebration of Corpus Christi used to be celebrated in the whole country, but the Fiesta is most impressive in Cusco. Fifteen saints and virgins, organized in several processions, arrive from different places to the cathedral of Cusco where to came to "greet" the body of Christ, sixty days after Easter Sunday. night before the main day twelve tipical dishes are prepared and consumed, including cuy chiriuchu, beer, chicha and bread.

The Plaza de Armas will be crowded with people that came to see the saints. After the procession, the saints go back to the cathedral and the representatives of the local communities come together and discuss local problems.

After seven days (el octavo), the saints participate in the procession again before going back to their places where they will remain for the rest of the year. Corpus Christi is a very colourful and traditional ceremony and a wonderful opportunity for visitors to celebrate a traditional festival.

Inti Raymi - 24th June 2006
One of the biggest and most impressive celebrations in Cusco, Inti Raymi is a homage to the Sun, an important God in Inca Culture. The main part of the day takes place at the Ruins of Sacsayhuaman.

The ceremony starts earlier the same day at the Koricancha (the Temple of the Sun, in the city of Cusco) and at the Plaza de Armas (Haucaypata, in Inca times). Around noon the participants go to Sacsahuaman, together with the thousands of national and international tourists that came especially to see this ceremony.

Inti Raymi is one of the shortest days in the southern hemisphere, and the celebration was possibly organized by the Incas (possibly on June 21th), because they were afraid that the Sun (their Father) would abandon them (his sons) because he was seen so little during this day.

Please email us to find out a cheap way to visit this festival whilst also mingling with the locals!

Virgen del Carmen, Paucartambo July 16 2006

See our Cultural Tour to this festival

Check back regularly for updates!

Corpus Christi photos

All photos by taken by Apus Peru Adventure Specialists unless otherwise acknowledged.

Pisco Day on Monday 23rd July
In the Parque de la Exposición or Exhibition Park (Downtown) the customs of colonial Lima will be on show early in the day and so will be the many varieties of food and drink based on the Peruvian brandy. (Pisco) Later on that day dance shows of "marinera limeña" sort of classical old dance from the time where limeños put on really refined parties. In the late afternoon "cajón" or wooden box is played by the most recognized artist. Aha, wooden box is played in Peru first and then goes to Spain.

Some other alternatives

From 24th until 31st the Casona San Marcos (Downtown, 2 blocks east from Plaza San Martin) great number of activities.

Centro Cultural de España, in the neighbourhood of Santa Beatriz (right next to Downtown and 6 blocks south from Exhibition Park in front of the US Ambassador Official Residency) will offer concerts and plays during 24, 25, 26, 27th.

The TRAIN from Lima to Huancayo will run on July 27th.
Buy tickets at least 2-3 days in advance at the teleticket counters in the entrance area of the "Metro" and "Wong" supermarkets. (there is a conveniently located Metro in the old center, and a Wong in Miraflores).

Celendin, between Chachapoyas and Cajamarca, has its main fiesta a few days later, ending around August 4. There are daily bullfights in an unreal rickety 4-storey wooden arena.

Huamachuco, between Cajamarca and Trujillo, will have the "Waman Raymi", a huge historic play similar to the "Inti Raymi" in Cuzco, on August 12. Very few foreigners go there, and there is a lot of local flavour ,with most of the visitors from adjacent villages dressed in traditional clothes, and abundant local food and drinks sold at foodstalls around the event.

The 8th annual Great River Amazon Raft Race Adventure for 2006 will be held on Sept. 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2006. It will be the longest raft race in the world, on the largest river in the world. It will begin at the town of Nauta, on the Marañon River, turn northward on the Amazon River and finish on the third day at the boulevard in front of Iquitos, approximately 120 miles down stream.

APUS PERU Adventure Travel Specialists

Please note: The design, content and photographs (except where noted) on this website are 100% original. The majority of our treks were designed by Apus Peru.

Copyright A.Svenson 2005. All material used within this web site is original work and is subject to international copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.