Inti Raymi Festival Latin America & Asia Holidays

The colourful Inca Sun Festival is held every winter solstice at the Sacsayhuaman ruins, overlooking Cusco.

The Inti Raymi festival was first established by the Inca Pachacutec, who built the citadel of Machu Picchu, around 1430. The Spanish then banned Inti Raymi considering it to be a pagan festival. However, in 1944, Peruvian writer Francisco Espinoza Navarro brought Iinti Raymi back to life, and it has remained an annual festival of celebration ever since.

Ordinary Peruvians dress in Inca clothes to recreate this majestic Tahuantinsuyo celebration to honour the sun god.

June is a special time to visit Cusco, with the Inti Raymi festival day on 24 June the culmination of month long festivities in Cusco. Throughout June you can enjoy offerings to Pachamama, concerts and fireworks shows and colourful processions. Each day, Avenida Sol and the Plaza de Armas will come alive with parades of colourfully-dressed dancers, performing a series of regional dances.

Inti Raymi Celebrations on the big day - 24 June 2025 

At 9am the ceremony begins at Santo Domingo Church, built on top of the Inca Temple of Q’oricancha with performers portraying the royal couple, the Sun King (Sapa Inca) and his wife (Mama Ocllo). 

At 11am, the colourful procession heads towards Plaza de Armas after which it continues to the temple of Saqsayhuaman. The King is transported in a golden chariot to the temple of Saqsayhuaman along with pallbearers who represent three different characters from Inca times: the condor, Kuntur, who represents the heavens (hanaq pacha); the snake, Amaru, who represents the underworld (ukhu pacha); and the puma that represents life on Earth (kay pacha).

During the show, women called “acllas” are chosen to sing sweetly to the Sun god and the Inca, who finally makes a speech to thank the sun god.

A truly remarkable and memorable day.