Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Peru Paucartambo The Festival of Paucartambo

The Festival of Paucartambo

Ain't no party like a ghost town party.

Paucartambo, Peru

Added By
Benjy Hansen-Bundy
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Paucartambo Everyday Market   izh53812 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Except for the five summer days of alcohol, fireworks, and dancing, Paucartambo is a trading hub between the rainforest and the mountains.

The original Andean patrimonial festival takes place in a picturesque white-washed town with blue doors and windows. In mid-July of every year campesinos from all over the Sacred Valley trek to the small mountain town to dance in the festival of the Virgen Del Carmen. Though many Andean towns have patrimonial festivals with traditional dances that mix indigenous beliefs, local legend, and Catholic worship, Paucartambo's is the great-granddaddy of them all.

Nowadays the festival is flooded with thousands of tourists, Peruvians and foreigners alike, who brave the lethal, winding mountain roads to binge on food and drink for five days straight. The spirit of debauchery is infectious. The crisp mountain air buzzes with the music of a dozen marching bands and the crack of incessant fireworks. 

Boarding room is scarce, so friends and families pack into windowless rooms occupied but once a year – and no one cares about the meager accommodations because the party in the street goes round the clock. You retreat to your cave only for some desperately needed sleep before you're roused by the fear of missing something great. (Of course, nicer rooms are possible to find, though costly.)

Over the course of the festival each of the dozen or so dance groups in full regalia enacts the story of its existence – one group represents the wealthy Spanish-blooded landowners with massive noses who strut side-to-side with jugs of beer and spurs on their boots. A group of devils, masked in Chinese dragon-style headdresses, scale the roofs of the town and entice the onlookers, tempting them to sin.

After a day of parading through the town, each dance retreats to a large house or meeting hall for a night of sumptuous Andean cuisine and endless beer and pisco. These beer halls are packed to the brim late into the night, with revelers spilling out their doors only at the point of exhaustion.

And for the truly brave of heart there is an early-morning excursion which is perhaps the greatest treat of all. After a sweaty climb through the fierce cold, clutching bottles of rum, the dauntless trekker finds himself at Tres Cruzes, the edge of the Andes, looking out at the sunrise exploding over thousands of miles of rainforest. The festival-induced stupor cannot help but be broken by this incomparable vista and the glory of the Amazon.

Related Tags

Ghost Towns Wondrous Performances Festivals
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges

Discover Inca Wonders.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Benjy

Edited By

izh53812

  • izh53812

Published

April 16, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Festival of Paucartambo
Paucartambo
Peru
-13.321447, -71.588989

Nearby Places

Parque de la Papa

Chahuaytire, Peru

miles away

Rumicolca

Quispicanchi, Peru

miles away

Museo Ritos Andinos (Andean Rites Museum)

Andahuaylillas, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Parque de la Papa

Chahuaytire, Peru

miles away

Rumicolca

Quispicanchi, Peru

miles away

Museo Ritos Andinos (Andean Rites Museum)

Andahuaylillas, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Related Stories and Lists

Baby Jumping and Worm Charming: 60 of the World's Oddest Traditions

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

The Sleepy Peruvian Town that Comes Alive Each Year to 'Please the Virgin'

festivals

By Mariana Zapata

Related Places

  • Chios Rocket War.

    Chios, Greece

    Chios Rocket War

    Two churches shoot bottle rockets at each others' bell towers in an unusual Easter celebration.

  • Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival

    Big Pine Key, Florida

    Underwater Music Festival

    For divers and music lovers, the Florida Keys' Underwater Music Festival provides the best of both worlds.

  • A monster with two smaller monsters in tow.

    Mohács, Hungary

    Busójárás

    Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

  • Contestants line up for the Tuff Shed Coffin Races

    Estes Park, Colorado

    Frozen Dead Guy Days

    An annual festival celebrating Colorado's most famous frozen corpse.

  • The Christmas Zamboni, Madrid Christmas Parade 2018

    Madrid, New Mexico

    Madrid Christmas Parade

    A ghost town revived by hippies and wanderers throws its own special brand of holiday parade.

  • Valencia, Spain

    La Mascletá

    A daily pyrotechnic celebration marks a beloved tradition during Valencia's festival season.

  • El  Carnaval de la Vega. (bebeto/Atlas Obscura)

    La Vega, Dominican Republic

    El Carnaval de la Vega

    Largest pre-Lent festival in the Dominican Republic.

  • Exeter business taking advantage of the festivities

    Exeter, New Hampshire

    Exeter UFO Festival

    Annual celebration commemorating the 1965 sighting of strange lights in the town.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.