South America Festivals

Argentina

There's plenty to keep you busy in Argentina, no matter what time of year you visit, from Bariloche's huge snow festival in the winter, to South America's largest arts festival in May.

The Bariloche Snow Festival takes place in August, which is the peak of Argentina's ski season, so wrap up warm and hit the slopes!

Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the tango, and every year the Buenos Aires Tango Festival celebrates that history with week-long events and competitions.

Like many countries in South America, Argentina has a rich German heritage, among many other nationalities, and this is celebrated each year at the huge Oktoberfest festival in Villa General Belgrano...

The annual Chubut Eisteddfod is the largest celebration of Welsh culture outside of Wales and reflects the pride in their heritage of the inhabitants of Welsh Patagonia...

The annual Gay Pride week in Buenos Aires usually takes place in November, and it's the biggest Gay Pride celebration in South America...

As you'd expect from one of the world's great cities, Buenos Aires is a hotspot for art and culture of all kinds. It's all showcased in the yearly ArteBA festival...

Brazil

Carnival is an obvious high point of the year in Brazil, but did you know that New Year's Eve in Rio is an even bigger party? Or that in the north-east Bumba Meu Boi and the Sao Joao festivals are a chance to see the real Brazil?

Brazilians do love their beer, so where better to experience traditional Brazilian beer culture than at the Pirenopolis BierFest, where you'll find the cream of Brazil's micro-brewers...

The annual Sao Joao festival takes place throughout northern Brazil, but especially in the town of Caruaru and in the north it's even bigger than Carnival...

If you missed out on the Rio Carnival, why not join millions of Brazilians instead at the huge Amazon festival of Bumba Meu Boi? It might not be that well-known but it's one of the biggest annual events in South America...

Rio Carnival is the world's biggest party bar none: so why not make 2021 the year you get to marvel at the spectacular parades, enjoy the sizzling atmosphere, and generally party like a Brazilian!

Salvador Carnival in Brazil is a popular alternative to the more famous Rio Carnival. It might not have the spectacular parades but for atmosphere and music, it's possibly actually better than Rio...

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is the only Formula 1 race held in South America, and thousands of crazy Brazilian fans pack the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo every year.

New Year's Eve is a VERY big deal in Rio - in fact it's a bigger party than the annual Rio Carnival. Glamorous masked balls, beach parties, street music, a colossal firework display... it's a once in a lifetime experience!

Colombia

Colombia's festivals might not be as well-known as those of Brazil or Peru, but the Barranquilla Carnival is every bit as much fun as Rio or Salvador, and they also do a good line in modern music festivals.

Colombia produces some of the most beautiful flowers on the planet, and they're very proud of it! So every year for the last 57 years, Medellin has hosted one of the world's biggest flower festivals...

Cali might be the Salsa capital of the world, and Colombia as a whole runs on Salsa Time, but head to Rock al Parque in Bogota this July and you'll find something very different on the menu...

Peru

From traditional Inca festivals like Inti Raymi, to culinary events such as the annual Mistura or South America's largest film festival, 2020 is an action-packed year in Peru...

The annual Caballo de Paso festival takes place in Lima, Peru, and is a celebration of the famous Peruvian paso horses which are famed throughout the world.

The 2020 Lima Film Festival is the hottest event in Latin American cinema, and RealWorld have exclusive packages to experience it.

Inti Raymi was the major festival of the Inca Empire and falls on the Winter Solstice, celebrating the return of the Sun to the lands of the Inca...

Peru's annual Fiestas Patrias celebrations to mark Peru's independence from Spain take place on the 28th and 29th of July and many Peruvians head to the coast for a long holiday weekend...

Every year in Lima, Peru, the Señor de los Milagros procession fills the streets with thousands of people in one of the world's largest Catholic festivals.