Celebrate the spectacular Inti Raymi Festival

Besides the Vendimia Festival where you can taste Peru's finest wine, the Inti Raymi Festival is also a famous annually celebrated festival in Peru. It is one of the most important and traditional festivities celebrated in Peru. Dating from the Inca period, which is over 500 years before, the Inti Raymi Festival is a kaleidoscope of rituals and processions dedicated to Inti Raymi, the Sun King in the Inca belief. The festival is celebrated to beseech Inti Raymi to deliver a good harvest. The Inti Raymi Festival is usually held on 24 June. During the festival, locals dress up in elaborate costumes, dignitaries are paraded through the streets of Cusco in ornate carriages and there is lots of feasting and drinking in honor of Pachamama, which is Mother Earth in Inca belief.

The main ceremony of the Inti Raymi Festival takes place in the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. After a few rituals, including the speech at exactly 1:30 PM, a single llama is sacrificed to appease the sun and ensure that the days begin to get longer again. There are dances and performances that once more showcase the indigenous customs and cultures of the four regions of the former empire and its diverse populace. As the celebration comes to a close, everyone returns to Cusco's historic center for various after-parties and festivities.