On the first Saturday of February each year, Pisco Sour – the nation´s favourite drink is celebrated. Tasting, competitions and Pisco parties can be found in Lima. This popular cocktail is made with Pisco, lemon juice, egg white and ice.
This event takes place in Puno and gathers more than 200 groups of musicians and dancers to celebrate Mamacha Candelaria. It is one of the biggest folk festivals of the Americas. The main dance of the festival, known as the dance of demons was supposedly dreamed up by a group of miners who were trapped down a mine and in desperation resigned their souls to the Virgen de la Candelaria. At this festival you will see many impressive masks and costumes, zampoña pan pipes, fireworks and dancers. At the end of the festival, the dancers head to the cemetery to respect the dead.
This harvest festival takes place in Ica throughout the whole of March. Here you can sample different grapes from the region and enjoy the delightful cuisine at the food markets. You will find that beauty contests, exhibitions and competitions take place at this festival.
This event takes place in Ayacucho, last a whole week and involve the entire town. During Easter, there is an open air market, which has a range of different crafts, music and food. Some of the spectacles that can be seen in Semana Santa include horse races, street paintings, daily parades, folk dancing, bonfires and bull running.
This festival takes place in the Lima district of Chorrillos. At the Plaza Lima Sur, national and international circus troops come and dazzle the crowds with their fascinating and enchanting performances.
From the beautiful southern city of Arequipa, thousands of pilgrims cross the desert to pay their respects at the shrine of the ´Virgen de Chapi`. Once they arrive, fireworks are set off and they enjoy some traditional foods. The following day, the virgin is carried in a procession with many flowers and candles.
This fair takes place in Puno, where many sellers from Peru and Bolivia gather to sell their quality handicrafts. Here you can find many homemade items, such as alpaca wool sweaters, paintings, jewellery, woodcrafts and paintings.
Corpus Christi is a religious festival celebrated at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, whereby statues, floats and dancers parade the area. This festival has a mixture of Andean and Catholic traditions and here you will notice the beautiful costumers of the statues.
This is one of Peru's prime tourist events, where the Fiesta of the Sun in Inka times takes place. The journey starts at Qoricancha and ends up at Sacsayhuaman, where the show is even better. On this special day, you may be able to see the sacrifice of the llama offered to the sun, many traditional dances and even the performance of the Inka itself.
Every July in various locations in Peru, the Festival of the Virgen del Carmen takes place. People parade through the towns in many fascinating and colorful costumes and masks to relive ancient gods. At this festival you will see the procession of the Virgin and dancers representing the good and the evil through the streets.
