Candelaria Festival in Puno
February 2nd-10th

Between Feb 2nd and 10th, the town of Puno becomes the Folk Capital of the Americas, gathering more than 200 groups of musicians and dancers to celebrate the “Mamacha” Candelaria or virgin. For the first nine days, the “mayordomos” (those in charge of organizing the festivities), pay for Mass, banquets and fireworks displays along the festival. They also, decorate the churches from ceiling to floor with huge cloth banners & thousands of flowers, & the centerpiece, the surprisingly small statue of the Virgin, receives rich & colorful new clothes for each year’s new “fiesta”.

The festival is divided in two main phases:

The first: “El día principal y sus ritos”, in which a colorful procession carries the statue of the Virgin around the city, and dancers in lavish costumes from all parts join the parade. That morning, all the streets along the route are prepared for the event with huge colorful images, constructed out of colored wood and sawdust, or for greater respect & impact, completely out of flowers and chopped up plants. It’s hugely disrespectful to walk on these images, as this is reserved for the virgin, who blesses each image with her touch, as she is carried over it. Also as the virgin passes over each image, flower petals are thrown over the statue, as further blessings. The dancers, by group, pause in front of the cathedral to be blessed with holy water, after which they are cooled with water thrown from nearby houses. The second evening is the day of the bands, which with 50 -100 musicians each, march round town, with many ending in one of the two plazas. Along with the music, fireworks are let off, from huge castles built of bamboo. This is an amazing festival to see.

The second phase is called “La Octava”. On this day, the “Grand Parade” takes place. The groups, which paraded in the stadium, the bands, together with many more groups from the neighborhoods, all return for a street procession in front of the Virgin, who will watch over them from a small tent erected especially for her, on the main street. Finally, during the farewell, or cacharpari, the dancers who fill the streets finally head to the cemetery to render homage to the dead.

We will customize a tour for you.

As the festival offers many interesting options, we will like to hear from you as which of the days you are interested in the most and we will work with you on customizing your tour to better fit your interests and budget. Remember that we focus on providing the best available options without compromising the quality of your tour. Just contact us with your questions and preferences and we can create the best itinerary based on your expectations and requests.

Price

Upon request.

Price will depend on how much of the festival you want to take part in and if you want to add an extension. Please contact our agents to help you put together an itinerary for you.

If you prefer a suggested itinerary, please send us the following information and we will respond promptly and accordingly.

• Number of people in your party
• Level of accommodation (3,4,5*). Please see options
• Choosing a Private or Group Tour?
• Adding options: if you like to add other destinations, day tours, extra days, meals, etc
• Need domestic or international flights?
• Have a special request (ie: special diet, wheelchair, children, senior, etc)