South America Festivals
Upcoming Events in South America
Events & Festivals in South America
All our holidays in South America can be 100% tailor-made, so if you'd like to plan a trip to tie in with one of the many fantastic events and festivals taking place throughout the year, you just have to ask...
We can help arrange tickets, transfers and even VIP packages to many of South America's biggest events. And, of course, if you want to arrange a wider holiday but make sure you get your dates right to fit in with a particular festival in South America, just get in touch with one of our specialist consultants and we'll let you know the best way to go about it!
Contact us about Festivals & Events
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.
ArteBA 2018 - 24-27 May, Buenos AiresAs 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...
Snow Festival - 10-14 Aug, BarilocheThe Bariloche Snow Festival takes place in June, which is the peak of Argentina's ski season, so wrap up warm and hit the slopes!
Tango Festival - 10-23 Aug, Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the birthplace of the tango, and every year the Buenos Aires Tango Festival celebrates that history with week-long events and competitions.
Oktoberfest - 06-08 Oct, Gral. BelgranoLike many countries in South America, many Argentinians have German heritage, and this is celebrated each year at the huge Oktoberfest festival in Villa General Belgrano...
Trelew Eisteddfod - 31 Oct, TrelewThe 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...
Gay Pride BA - 01-07 Nov, Buenos AiresThe annual Gay Pride week in Buenos Aires usually takes place in November, and it's the biggest Gay Pride celebration in South America...
Fiesta de la Vendimia - 26 Feb-07 Mar, MendozaArgentina is one of the world's leading wine producers, and the annual Mendoza Vendimia festival celebrates everything that's fantastic about Argentinian wine.
Bolivia
Bolivia is rich in indigenous traditions and festivals, often merged with Catholic festivals with some weird and wonderful results, like the freaky devil dancers at the Oruro Carnival...
Fiesta Gran Poder - 21-22 May, La PazBolivia's largest single festival, the Fiesta del Gran Poder takes over the whole of La Paz for two days in May, as 30,000 dancers and 400,000 spectators take to the streets...
Che Guevara 50th Anniversary - 09 Oct, La HigueraOctober 2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the execution of Che Guevara by the Bolivian Army, bringing to an end nearly a year of his guerilla insurgency in Bolivia...
Dakar Rally 2018 - 06-20 Jan, La PazDakar is back! Starting in the Peruvian capital, Lima on January 6th, the 2018 edition of this epic rally will head through Peru and up to Bolivia, before dipping down to the finish in Argentina...
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?
Piri BierFest - 29 Apr, PirenopolisBrazilians 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...
São João Festival - 24 Jun, CaruaruThe 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...
Bumba Meu Boi - 26-29 Jun, ParantinsIf 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...
Brazilian Grand Prix - 12 Nov, Sao PauloThe 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.
Reveillon in Rio - 31 Dec, Rio de JaneiroNew 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!
Rio Carnival 2018 - 09-14 Feb, Rio de JaneiroRio Carnival is the world's biggest party bar none: so why not make 2018 the year you get to marvel at the spectacular parades, enjoy the sizzling atmosphere, and generally party like a Brazilian!
Salvador Carnival 2018 - 09-14 Feb, SalvadorSalvador 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...
Chile
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.
Fiesta de La Tirana - 16 Jul, La TiranaSometimes Chile seems very European and sometimes it's VERY South American. The Fiesta de la Tirana, when 200,000 party-goers descend on this tiny town is definitely the latter ...
Tapati Rapa Nui - 27 Jan-12 Feb, Easter IslandTapati Rapa Nui is one of those rare joys: a traditional festival that manages to be welcoming to tourists while making no concessions to them whatsoever. Just come along and get stuck in!
Solar Eclipse 2019 - 02 Jul, La SerenaIn 2019, parts of Argentina and Chile will be directly under the path of a total eclipse of the Sun. We have a range of packages designed to help you experience this amazing event.
Colombia
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.
Flower Festival - 28 Jul-06 Aug, MedellinColombia 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...
Rock al Parque - 02-04 Jul, BogotaCali 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...
Barranquilla Carnival - 09-14 Feb, BarranquillaMove over Rio! If you want a completely authentic but completely wild week, then the Barranquilla Carnival is the place for you...
Ecuador
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.
Semana Santa - 25-31 Mar, QuitoAs with many Catholic countries, Ecuador celebrates Easter in a big way, with huge parades and processions, special cakes, and children running around dressed as devils. As you do...
Salon de Chocolate - 17-19 May, QuitoEcuador is the home of fine chocolate, and where better to try some of it than at Quito's annual chocolate festival, the Salon de Chocolate. There are even massive chocolate sculptures to devour...
Inti Raymi Ecuador - 24 Jun, OtavaloThe most famous Inti Raymi festival takes place in Cusco, Peru, but the Inca Empire stretched all the way to the very north of Ecuador, and the yearly Festival of the Sun is celebrated here too...
Yamor Music Festival - 04-13 Sep, OtavaloThe Yamor music festival in Otavalo is Ecuador's biggest and although it originally comes from traditional Quechua festivals, today it's all about the music.
Fiestas de Quito - 06 Dec, QuitoEvery 6th December, Ecuador's capital city marks its foundation with the week-long street party that is the Fiestas de Quito.
New Year in Quito - 31 Dec, QuitoNew Year in Quito is huge fun, with huge firework displays, enormous dummies which are ritually set ablaze, and men dressed in miniskirts... see it for yourself!
Carnaval 2018 - 09-14 Feb, CuencaEcuador's Carnival (also known as Carnaval) is one of the largest in South America and is famous for its huge water fights, huge parties, and fancy dress devils!
Peru
From traditional Inca festivals like Inti Raymi, to culinary events such as the annual Mistura or South America's largest film festival, 2016 is an action-packed year in Peru...
Paso Horse Festival - 15-20 Apr, LimaThe 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.
Inti Raymi - 24 Jun, CuscoInti 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...
Fiestas Patrias - 28-29 Jul, NationwidePeru'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...
Lima FilmFest - 04-12 Aug, LimaThe 2017 Lima Film Festival is the hottest event in Latin American cinema, and RealWorld have exclusive packages to experience it.
Mistura Food Festival - 08-17 Sep, LimaSouth America's biggest food festival, Mistura, is held every year in Lima, Peru. It showcases all the delights of Peruvian cuisine, and Mistura 2017 promises to be the biggest yet.
Señor de los Milagros - 18-19 Oct, LimaEvery 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.
Virgen de la Candelaria - 02 Feb, PunoPuno's annual Virgen de la Candelaria festival is one of Peru's largest indigenous celebrations, with thousands of dancers and revellers taking to the streets.
Holy Week - 25-31 Mar, AyacuchoHoly Week in Ayacucho is a very big deal, with huge parades, concerts, candelit processions, and flower tapestries carpeting the streets...