Carnaval
Carnaval is celebrated in late February or early March with parades and folk dancing in most highland towns, though especially in Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Huaráz, and Puno.
20 Best Performing Arts Venues in Peru
We've compiled the best of the best in Peru - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Centro Cultural Peruano Norteamericano
It's worth swinging by this venue, not just for announcements of evening concerts of traditional and classical music, but also for art and photography exhibits and other cultural offerings.
Centro Cultural Ricardo Palma
There's always something going on at the Centro Cultural Ricardo Palma, a municipal cultural center three blocks south of Parque Kennedy. It hosts nightly concerts, dance performances, and plays at affordable prices.
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Corpus Christi
Cusco's Corpus Christi festival in late May or early June begins with Mass in the Plaze de Armas 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 late afternoon, the beaded, brocaded 15-foot statues are hoisted aloft and promenaded around the plaza, ending at the Cathedral. Reserve (as far in advance as possible) a table at a second-story restaurant or bar on the plaza for a good view.
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.
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.
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 important. The procession 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 Turrón de Doña Pepa, a delicious soft and sweet paste made with eggs, butter, flour, anise, and fruit syrup.
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.
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 to learn about the making of pisco and wine, and a queen is famously chosen to ceremoniously stomp the first grapes of the season in the Ica Region.
Fiestas Patrias
Peru's two-day Fiestas Patrias (July 28–29), which celebrate the country's independence from Spain in 1821, are marked by a military parade in Lima.
ICPNA Cusco
Created to promote understanding between Peru and the United States through educational and cultural programs, this center puts on some of the most varied cultural offerings in the city. It also has a small art gallery with new shows every month.
Inti Raymi
Cusco's spectacular Inti Raymi (June 24) celebrates the winter solstice a few days late for historic reasons. The fortress ruins of Sacsayhuamán form the stage for a reenactment of an Inca ritual that beseeches the sun to return, with a proverbial cast of thousands.
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 traditional Wititi dance and processions for the patron saint.
La Virgen Inmaculada Concepion
Held in the first week of December, this big five-day event in Chivay and Yanque sees the performance of the local traditional Wititi dance and processions for the patron saint.
Mistura Culinary Festival
For 10 days in mid-September, visitors can try famous Peruvian potatoes and donuts (picarones) or simply enjoy local and international specialties served at numerous food stalls run by celebrity chefs, small vendors, and renowned restaurants.
Qosqo Centro de Arte Nativo
The cultural center holds folkloric dance performances in its auditorium each night from 6 to 8:30.
Qoyllur Rit'i
Thousands of indigenous Peruvians flock to the Ausangate Glacier for Qoyllur Rit'i (June 9), a religious festival that mixes Inca and Christian rites in Sinakara, a Cusco department.
Semana Santa
Holy Week, or the week leading up to Easter (March or April), is celebrated with religious processions countrywide, though processions in Ayacucho and Arequipa are the most elaborate.
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.
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.
