Festivals in Cusco
The former Inca capital hosts the Inti Raymi festival every June on the winter solstice.
Cusco, Peru
- Country
- 🇵🇪 Peru
- Region
- South America
- Destination type
- Cultural
- Best months
- May–June, December
Cusco is the gateway to the Inca Empire and of course the city where all the tours to Machu Picchu start from. Make sure you plan at least a few days to hang around and explore the city, it is colorful, friendly and full of history.
When we travelled to Peru in 2022, we were lucky to arrive at the right time to catch the Inti Raymi festival. This happens every June on the winter solstice, and is a celebration of the yearly harvest and the return of the sun. Inti is the Inca god of the sun, and the festival is dedicated to him.
No other city in the Andes wears celebration quite so naturally: processions spill through narrow colonial lanes, the seven-stripe Cusco flag flies from every balcony, and the Plaza de Armas fills with dancers, musicians and spectators from across the region.
We also caught the end of Corpus Christi, a catholic celebration where the local catholic community takes out their saints (literally carrying their statues) for a procession through the streets.
