Guatemala has some of the most vivid, emotionally charged festivals in Latin America. Semana Santa alone is worth planning an entire trip around, and if you time it right for the Giant Kite Festival in November, you’ll witness something genuinely unlike anything else in the world. Whether you’re drawn to religious processions, indigenous traditions, or the kind of celebration that takes over an entire town, Guatemala delivers.
This guide covers the most important festivals and holidays in Guatemala, when they happen, where to be, and what to expect as a traveller.
Quick facts about festivals in Guatemala
- Guatemala’s most famous festival: Semana Santa (Holy Week, March/April)
- Best festival for visual impact: Giant Kite Festival, 1st November
- Most unique: Todos Santos horse race, 1st November
- Best base for most festivals: Antigua Guatemala
- Book accommodation months in advance for Semana Santa and the Giant Kite Festival
🇬🇹 Read more about Guatemala: How to be a Digital Nomad in Guatemala
Guatemala Festival Calendar at a Glance
January: New Year celebrations in Antigua
February: Día de la Candelaria, Quetzaltenango
March/April: Semana Santa (Holy Week) across the country
Late July: Rabin Ajau, Cobán
August: Feria de la Virgen de la Asunción, Guatemala City
December 7th: Burning of the Devil (La Quema del Diablo), nationwide
1st November: Giant Kite Festival + All Saints’ Day + Todos Santos horse race
September 15th: Independence Day
December: Festival of Santo Tomás, Chichicastenango; Christmas celebrations
Semana Santa, Guatemala’s Most Famous Festival
Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is the biggest and most spectacular religious festival in Guatemala, arguably in all of Latin America. It takes place in the week leading up to Easter Sunday, usually in late March or early April, and the whole country shifts into a different gear.
The epicentre is in Antigua, where Semana Santa reaches a level of intensity that is hard to describe until you’ve seen it. For days leading up to Good Friday, communities come together to create alfombras, elaborate carpets of coloured sawdust, flowers, pine needles, and traditional foods laid out along the cobblestone streets. These carpets can stretch for entire city blocks and take hours to make, and then they’re walked over by the procession and gone.
The processions themselves are enormous. Thousands of people dressed in purple robes carry huge wooden floats bearing religious figures through the streets, accompanied by the low rumble of drums and clouds of incense smoke. On Good Friday, the largest processions take place and the atmosphere is genuinely moving, even if you’re not religious.
A few practical things to know: Antigua fills up completely during Semana Santa. If you want to be there, book your accommodation far in advance and expect prices to be higher than usual. The processions can make it difficult to get around the city by vehicle, so plan to walk everywhere. It’s one of those experiences that justifies the extra planning.
Giant Kite Festival in Guatemala
The Giant Kite Festival, or Festival de Barriletes Gigantes, is one of those things that sounds interesting when you read about it and then completely blows you away when you’re there. It takes place on 1st November, All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos), in the towns of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, both about an hour from Antigua.
The kites are enormous. They can be up to 25 metres in diameter, hand-crafted from tissue paper and bamboo, painted in vivid, intricate designs. The tradition comes from Mayan beliefs that the kites help communicate with the spirits of the dead, who return to earth on this day. Local communities spend months building them, and flying them is both a technical challenge and a deeply meaningful act.
Alongside the giant kites, families visit local cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of loved ones with flowers and offerings, share traditional foods, and spend time together. It’s a version of Día de los Muertos that feels distinctly Guatemalan and far less commercialised than you might expect.
Sumpango tends to get fewer visitors than Santiago Sacatepéquez, which can make for a slightly more relaxed experience if crowds aren’t your thing. Both towns are easy to reach for the day from Antigua.
All Saints’ Day in Guatemala
All Saints’ Day on 1st November is one of the most important days in the Guatemalan calendar, and the Giant Kite Festival is just one part of it. Across the country, families gather at town cemeteries to remember the dead. In smaller towns and villages especially, this is a deeply communal occasion: food, marimba music, and flowers, with generations sitting together among the graves.
Guatemala’s All Saints’ Day traditions blend Catholic traditions with Mayan beliefs about the dead and the spirit world. The day isn’t solemn in the way you might expect; in many places it’s warm, busy, and full of colour. It’s a celebration, it’s not about mourning.
Todos Santos Horse Race
Yet another event that happens on the 1st November! The Todos Santos Cuchumatán horse race is held in the town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, in honour of its patron saint. It’s not like any event you will have ever seen before; Local riders, many of whom have been drinking since the night before, race back and forth along a dirt track at full gallop for hours. The race goes on all day, riders fall off, get back on, and in some instances it can be quite dangerous for them.
Whilst it’s not quite my vibe for animal welfare reasons, it is also an important ancestral tradition, and the indigenous people of Todos Santos are known for preserving their traditional dress and customs more than almost anywhere else in Guatemala. The festival very much reflects that rich cultural heritage.
La Quema del Diablo (The Burning of the Devil)
One of Guatemala’s most unusual and underrated traditions takes place on December 7th: La Quema del Diablo, or the Burning of the Devil. At 6pm, households across the country bring out their rubbish, build bonfires in the street, and burn effigies of the devil to cleanse their homes of evil spirits before the Christmas season begins.
In practice, it looks like the entire country simultaneously setting fire to things. Antigua and Guatemala City are both excellent places to experience it, with the air thick with smoke and fireworks from early evening. It’s one of those deeply Guatemalan cultural celebrations that most travel guides overlook, but locals consider it one of the most important days of the year.
Independence Day: September 15th
Guatemalan Independence Day on September 15th marks freedom from Spanish rule in 1821 and is celebrated with real enthusiasm across the country. In the days leading up to it, students and community groups take part in torchlight relay races (antorchas) that pass through towns and villages, which is a tradition I hadn’t seen anywhere else before arriving in Guatemala.
On the day itself there are parades featuring traditional dress, marching bands, and plenty of national pride. Antigua and Guatemala City both put on particularly good celebrations. Schools compete to have the best marching display, and the streets fill with Guatemalan flags and the sound of folkloric dances and marimba music.
Rabin Ajau
Rabin Ajau, which translates roughly as “Daughter of the King,” is a cultural pageant held every year in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, usually in late July. Indigenous women from communities across Guatemala gather to represent their culture: each contestant wears her community’s traditional dress, speaks in her indigenous language, and demonstrates knowledge of her community’s customs and traditions. Guatemala has 22 recognised Mayan language groups, and Rabin Ajau is one of the few events that brings so many of them together in one place.
Festival of Santo Tomás
Chichicastenango, already famous for its Thursday and Sunday markets, transforms in December for its festival honouring Santo Tomás, the patron saint of the town. The Festival of Santo Tomás takes place around December 21st and is one of the most vivid regional festivals in the country.
The highlight is the palo volador, or flying pole dance, a pre-Columbian ceremony in which men climb to the top of a tall wooden pole, tie themselves to ropes, and then spin downwards as the ropes unravel. It looks terrifying. Combined with traditional dances, folk dances, live marimba music, and processions, the Festival of Santo Tomás is one of those events that makes it very clear you are somewhere with an ancient and living culture.
Feria de la Virgen de la Asunción
Guatemala City celebrates its patron saint, the Virgen de la Asunción, in early August with a festival that brings the capital to life. Expect parades, traditional dances, carnival rides, fireworks, and a general buzz of excitement that transforms what can feel like a utilitarian city into something more festive.
If your trip takes you through Guatemala City in early August, this is a good reason to linger rather than rush straight to Antigua.
[Internal link suggestion: A Travel Guide to Guatemala City]
Día de la Candelaria: Quetzaltenango in February
Celebrated on 2nd February, Día de la Candelaria marks the end of the Christmas season and is celebrated with particular enthusiasm in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala’s second city. Processions carry images of the Virgin Mary through the streets accompanied by live music, colourful processions, and fireworks.
Xela is already an interesting destination for travellers wanting to go beyond the main tourist trail, and Día de la Candelaria is a good reason to time a visit for early February.
Music Festivals in Guatemala
For those interested in live music beyond traditional marimba, Guatemala also has a growing contemporary festival scene.
The Empire Music Festival in Guatemala City is one of Central America’s larger annual music events, drawing international and local artists across electronic, rock, and pop. The Festival de Jazz en Guatemala runs every March, with performances across Guatemala City and Antigua.
These events are worth keeping an eye on if you’re spending time in the capital, though they attract a different crowd to the cultural festivals listed above.
Tips for Experiencing Guatemalan Festivals as a Traveller
Book accommodation early
This applies especially to Semana Santa in Antigua and the Giant Kite Festival: both attract visitors from across the world and rooms fill up months in advance. For Semana Santa, I’d suggest booking at least three to four months ahead.
Stay flexible with transport
During major festivals, roads around Antigua and Santiago Sacatepéquez can be crowded and slow. Build extra time into any travel plans.
Respect local traditions
Events like the Giant Kite Festival and Todos Santos have deep spiritual significance for the communities involved. It’s fine and welcome to attend as a visitor, but take cues from the people around you on what’s appropriate.
Learn a little Spanish
Guatemala’s indigenous communities speak their own languages, but Spanish goes a long way everywhere. Even a few phrases helps enormously, especially in smaller towns during regional festivals.
Try the local food
Festivals in Guatemala almost always come with traditional Guatemalan food: tamales at Christmas, fiambre (a cold salad with meats and pickles) on All Saints’ Day, and various regional specialities depending on where you are. Eating what’s being served is one of the best parts of being there.
FAQs About Holidays and Festivals in Guatemala
What is the most famous festival in Guatemala?
Semana Santa (Holy Week) is Guatemala’s most famous festival. The celebrations in Antigua are particularly well-known internationally, drawing visitors from around the world for the processions and alfombras. It takes place in March or April depending on the year’s Easter date.
What is the Giant Kite Festival in Guatemala?
The Giant Kite Festival (Festival de Barriletes Gigantes) takes place on 1st November, All Saints’ Day, in the towns of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, about an hour from Antigua. Communities create enormous kites made from tissue paper and bamboo, some up to 25 metres across, and fly them to communicate with the spirits of the dead. It’s one of Guatemala’s most visually spectacular events.
When is the best time to visit Guatemala for festivals?
The two most spectacular times to visit Guatemala for festivals are March/April (Semana Santa) and 1st November (Giant Kite Festival and All Saints’ Day). December is also rewarding if you’re there for the Festival of Santo Tomás in Chichicastenango or the Burning of the Devil on December 7th.
What is Independence Day in Guatemala?
Guatemala celebrates Independence Day on September 15th, marking its freedom from Spanish rule in 1821. Celebrations include torchlight relay races in the days leading up to it, followed by parades, traditional music, and national celebrations across the country.
What is the Burning of the Devil in Guatemala?
La Quema del Diablo takes place every year on December 7th. Guatemalans build bonfires and burn effigies of the devil to drive away evil spirits before the Christmas season. It’s one of the country’s most unusual and atmospheric traditions, celebrated most visibly in Antigua and Guatemala City.
Is All Saints’ Day the same as Día de los Muertos in Guatemala?
They fall on the same date (1st November) and share the theme of honouring the dead, but they’re distinct traditions. Guatemala’s All Saints’ Day blends Catholic traditions with Mayan beliefs, and its most famous expression is the Giant Kite Festival. The Day of the Dead as celebrated in Mexico has different visual and cultural elements, though both draw on indigenous and Catholic influences.
What is the palo volador?
The palo volador, or flying pole dance, is a pre-Columbian ceremonial performance most famously seen during the Festival of Santo Tomás in Chichicastenango. Participants climb a tall wooden pole and descend by spinning outward on ropes as the ropes unravel. It is a form of ritual with deep roots in Mayan traditions.
