What is Inti Raymi?
Inti Raymi, “festival of the sun” in Quechua, was the most important ceremony of the Inca year. It was held at the June solstice, the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, when the sun is at its lowest and the Incas asked it to return. The Spanish banned it in the 16th century.
In 1944 a group of Cusco writers and artists staged a reconstruction based on the old chronicles, and the city chose 24 June as the Day of Cusco. Since then the performance, in Quechua, has become one of the largest festivals in South America.
When is Inti Raymi? Dates for 2026 and 2027
2026
- Wednesday 24 June 2026Inti Raymi in Cusco
2027
- Thursday 24 June 2027Inti Raymi in Cusco
Inti Raymi is always on 24 June, the Day of Cusco, a few days after the June solstice. The whole of June is a festival month in Cusco, with parades and dances on many days.
How people celebrate
- The ceremony begins at Qorikancha, the Inca temple of the sun, moves to the Plaza de Armas and ends at Sacsayhuamán.
- Hundreds of performers represent the Inca, his court and the four regions of the empire.
- Offerings to the sun, including chicha, a corn drink.
Good to know
- Seats in the stands at Sacsayhuamán are sold in advance and sell out; the hillsides around are free but fill up from early morning.
- Cusco is about 3,400 metres above sea level: arrive a few days early to get used to the altitude.
- June is the dry season: sunny days, but very cold nights.