The Cusco & Machu Picchu calendar
Festivals and seasonal fixtures worth timing the trip around — from the Inti Raymi sun rite above Cusco to the February closure of the classic Inca Trail.
How the year is shaped
The Andes have two seasons, not four: a dry season (roughly May to September) and a wet one (October to April). The festival calendar — and the crowds — cluster in the dry months. June is the headline, with Cusco's Inti Raymi sun festival on the 24th and the masked fiesta of Virgen del Carmen in nearby Paucartambo in mid-July.
If you can flex your dates, June and July bring the clearest skies — and the heaviest crowds and highest prices. The shoulder months (April–May, September–October) trade a little weather risk for fewer people and easier ticket slots.
Planning around the calendar
A few practical notes. Festival weeks push up demand across Cusco and the Sacred Valley: book stays, trains and timed-entry tickets well ahead for June and July, and expect Cusco to be busy. Dates shift slightly year to year, so confirm the exact days on official sources before you commit flights.
One fixed point matters for trekkers: the classic Inca Trail closes for all of February each year for maintenance and the heart of the rains. The citadel itself stays open, reached by train rather than trail.
The calendar
June 20262
Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun)
The Inca winter-solstice rite to Inti, the sun, re-enacted each year above Cusco at the fortress of Sacsayhuamán — the headline event of the Andean dry season, with hundreds of costumed performers.
Saints Peter and Paul in Peru 2026 (San Pedro y San Pablo)
29 June, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (San Pedro y San Pablo), is a Peruvian national public holiday, especially celebrated in fishing communities as a day honouring fishermen.
July 20264
Machu Picchu Discovery Day 2026 (July 7)
July 7 marks the 1911 discovery of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham — and, since 2007, its naming as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Cusco and Aguas Calientes mark the day with decorations, parades, folk music, dance and Pachamama offerings.
Virgen del Carmen (Paucartambo)
One of Peru's most vivid Andean-Catholic fiestas: for several days masked dancers fill the highland streets of Paucartambo, east of Cusco, in a riot of costume, music and procession.
Virgen del Carmen in Pisac 2026
Each July the Sacred Valley town of Pisac celebrates the Virgen del Carmen with masses, processions and colourful traditional dances around its main square and famous market town.
Fiestas Patrias (Peru Independence Days) 2026
Fiestas Patrias on 28–29 July are Peru's national independence holidays, marking the 1821 declaration of independence. Both days are public holidays with flag-flying, parades and the President's address; it is one of the busiest domestic travel periods of the year.
August 20262
Battle of Junín in Peru 2026
6 August commemorates the 1824 Battle of Junín, a decisive engagement in Peru's independence. It is a national public holiday.
Santa Rosa de Lima in Peru 2026
30 August honours Saint Rose of Lima, patron saint of Peru and the Americas. It is a national public holiday with processions, especially in Lima.
December 20263
Immaculate Conception & Battle of Ayacucho in Peru 2026
Peru observes two national public holidays in early December: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepción) on 8 December and the anniversary of the 1824 Battle of Ayacucho on 9 December, which sealed South American independence.
Santuranticuy Christmas Market in Cusco 2026
On Christmas Eve, Cusco's Plaza de Armas becomes one of the largest artisan fairs in Peru: Santuranticuy ('the sale of saints') sees hundreds of craftspeople lay out nativity figures, ceramics and carvings for the city's Andean Christmas.
Christmas in Peru 2026 (Navidad)
25 December (Navidad) is a national public holiday in Peru, but the main celebration is Nochebuena on Christmas Eve — a late-night family dinner, often followed by fireworks at midnight. In Cusco the Santuranticuy artisan market animates Christmas Eve.
March 20272
Señor de los Temblores in Cusco 2027 (Holy Monday)
On Holy Monday, Cusco's patron image — the Lord of the Earthquakes (Taytacha Temblores) — is carried in a vast procession through the historic centre, showered with red ñuk'chu blossoms by tens of thousands of devotees. Cusco's most important Holy Week event.
Easter & Holy Week in Peru 2027 (Semana Santa)
Peru's Easter public holidays in 2027 are Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) on 25 March and Good Friday (Viernes Santo) on 26 March, the climax of Semana Santa processions held across the country, with Cusco's 'Señor de los Temblores' a regional highlight on Holy Monday.
May 20273
Labour Day in Peru 2027 (Día del Trabajo)
1 May, International Workers' Day (Día del Trabajo), is a national public holiday in Peru.
Señor de Choquekillka in Ollantaytambo 2027
Ollantaytambo's most important festival honours its patron, the Señor de Choquekillka, over four days around Pentecost with processions, dances, masses, fireworks and bullfights filling the Inca town's plaza.
Corpus Christi in Cusco 2027
Corpus Christi is one of Cusco's grandest festivals: fifteen saints and virgins are carried in vast processions through the Plaza de Armas in a celebration that fuses Catholic and Inca tradition. In 2027 the main day falls on 27 May.