Juliaca Events and Festivals

(Juliaca, Puno, Peru)

There are a number of very popular festivals that take place every year in Juliaca, Puno and around Lake Titicaca, although the city's calendar of events does not compete in any way with the seasonal celebrations of nearby Arequipa. Each February, the Virgen de la Candelaria in Puno is nothing short of spectacular and is amongst the largest folk festival to be held in the whole of the Americas.

Visitors lucky enough to attend the Virgen de la Candelaria can expect pre-Hispanic and Christian events, banquets, live entertainment, street parties, literally hundreds of performing musicians, Andean panpipe music, and dramatic evening fireworks. In Juliaca, Easter is always an important time, with Holy Week (Semana Santa) providing visitors with an array of lively religious events and processions, as a pre-cursor to the mass on Easter Sunday.

Juliaca Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015: General Information

The Isla Taquile (Island of Taquile) is actually the biggest island in Lake Titicaca and is within easy reach of Juliaca and Puno, lying directly to the east.

Each year on July 25th, the Isla Taquile plays host to the Feast of Saint James (Fiesta de San Diego), with island festivities lasting as long as early August, when traditional offerings are made to 'Mother Earth' Pachamama.

Other leading annual Peruvian events and fiestas around Juliaca include:

• Epiphany - January 6th
• Feast of St. John the Baptist - March 8th
• Alacitas - May 2nd
• Las Cruces - May 3rd / 4th
• Inti Raymi Festival - June 24th
• National Independence Days - July 28th / 29th
• Our Lady of Mercy - September 24th
• Battle of Angamos Day - October 8th
• Todos Santos - November 1st
• Dia de los Muertos - November 2nd