Inti Raymi 2027: Date, Tickets and How to See the Festival of the Sun (Plus Qoyllur Rit’i)

Inti Raymi 2027 takes place on Thursday, June 24, 2027, in Cusco, across three stages: the Qorikancha (Coricancha), the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán, where the grandstand seats are paid and sell out. Qoyllur Rit’i 2027 falls around May 22 to 25. We organize both festivals on request.

We’re a local operator based in Cusco. Here you’ll find the 2027 dates, how to see each festival with or without a ticket, what the day is like and a travel plan built around our tours.

2027 Dates: Qoyllur Rit’i, Corpus Christi and Inti Raymi

In 2027 Easter falls on March 28, so Qoyllur Rit’i and Corpus Christi move up to late May. Inti Raymi, as every year, is on June 24, and all of June is Cusco’s anniversary month, with parades and celebrations.

Festival	2027 date	Where	How to see it
Qoyllur Rit’i	Around Saturday, May 22 to Tuesday, May 25	Sinakara sanctuary, at the foot of Ausangate (Ocongate)	Pilgrimage on foot from Mahuayani; we organize it on request
Corpus Christi	Thursday, May 27; the saints enter on Wednesday, May 26, and the octave is Thursday, June 3	Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral	In the square and the streets, as the processions pass
Inti Raymi	Thursday, June 24	Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán	Free at the Qorikancha and the Plaza; at Sacsayhuamán, a paid grandstand seat or standing on the hillsides

For reference, Corpus Christi fell on June 4 in 2026. For the rest of the year, from Carnival to Santurantikuy, see our guide to Cusco festivals.

What Is Inti Raymi 2027? The Festival of the Sun in Cusco

Inti Raymi is the Inca Festival of the Sun, tied to the June solstice, which in the Andes is the winter solstice. Today it’s a reenactment in Quechua in which an actor plays the Inca and pays tribute to the Sun. It’s organized by EMUFEC, Cusco’s municipal festivals company, and it’s the festival that draws the most visitors to the city.

The stages aren’t random: the Qorikancha was the Temple of the Sun, and according to accounts of the temple, its windows were aligned with the June solstice. We explain it in our guide to Inca astronomy and Cusco’s architecture.

What Inti Raymi Day Is Like: The Three Stages

The festival moves through three places on the same day. Exact times are announced each year; these are approximate:

Stage	When (approx.)	Do you pay?
Qorikancha	Early morning (in 2026 it started at 8:00 a.m.)	No, you watch standing; there were also some paid seats
Plaza de Armas	Mid-morning	No, you watch standing, in a big crowd
Sacsayhuamán	From midday or early afternoon: the main ceremony	Yes, in the grandstands; free from the hillsides, with no seat

The Qorikancha is a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Sacsayhuamán sits on a hill north of the city, at about 3,700 m (12,140 ft), some 300 m (980 ft) above the square. To get to know both calmly before the festival, the Cusco City Tour (US$40) includes them with tickets and a guide. Their history is in our guide to Coricancha and Sacsayhuamán.

Inti Raymi 2027 Tickets: Grandstands or Free

At Sacsayhuamán there are numbered, color-coded grandstands with paid entry. In 2026 there were about 3,800 seats in four categories, and they sold out before the festival. The price depends on the grandstand and is published each year.

• Grandstand seat: buy only through EMUFEC’s official channels. In 2025 there was resale at very high prices and fake websites. If you’d rather not do it alone, we can help on request: write to us with your dates and we’ll put together a proposal based on what you need.
• Free at the Qorikancha and the Plaza de Armas: standing, among large crowds.
• Free from the hillsides at Sacsayhuamán: you don’t pay or depend on getting a ticket, but you have no seat, it’s the most crowded area, you need to arrive very early and you can’t see the details of the ceremony.

Tips for the Day of the Festival of the Sun

• Strong sun and cold: June days are sunny, but early mornings and nights are very cold, with lows that can drop below 0 °C (32 °F). Dress in layers and bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. More in our guide to the best time to visit Cusco.
• Water and an early start: bring your bottle and arrive early at any stage, especially the hillsides.
• Your belongings: in the crowds, carry only what you need.
• Acclimatize first: Cusco sits at about 3,400 m (11,150 ft). Don’t save the festival for your arrival day; compare altitudes in our Cusco elevation chart.
• Respect: ask permission before photographing people.

Qoyllur Rit’i 2027: The Pilgrimage at the Foot of Ausangate

Qoyllur Rit’i is the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i, in the Sinakara valley at the foot of Mount Ausangate (Ocongate district, Quispicanchi province). It has been on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2011. It brings together tens of thousands of pilgrims from the southern Andes, who arrive as “nations” with their dancers and musicians, and it blends Catholic faith with the worship of the apus, the sacred mountains.

In 2027 the main days will be around Saturday, May 22 to Tuesday, May 25: they depend on Holy Trinity Sunday (May 23). The exact date is set by the Brotherhood of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i, and we confirm it when you book.

How to get there. The road ends at Mahuayani; from there you walk about 8 km uphill to the sanctuary, at over 4,600 m (15,000 ft). There are no hotels: people camp in tents next to the sanctuary.

Who it’s for and who it isn’t for. It’s for acclimatized travelers who can handle the cold and want to experience a religious festival respectfully. Nights are very cold, there are crowds and noise day and night, and services are very basic: if you want comfort, it isn’t for you. It’s not a show for tourists: respect the ceremonies and ask before taking photos. We don’t run fixed departures, but we organize it on request: write to us with your dates and we’ll put together a proposal based on what you need.

Something quieter? The Ausangate 7 Lakes tour (US$60) takes you to the foot of Ausangate, the apu of Qoyllur Rit’i, in one day and without the pilgrimage: pickup around 4:00 a.m., a 5 to 6-hour hike up to about 4,850 m (15,910 ft) and back around 7:00 p.m. You can also see the peak in the distance on the Rainbow Mountain tour. More in our guide to Ausangate, Peru.

Corpus Christi in Cusco: May 27, 2027

Corpus Christi falls on Thursday, May 27, 2027. The day before, Wednesday, May 26, the images of saints and virgins from different parishes arrive in procession, with bands and dancers, and enter the Cathedral, where they stay for several days; the octave is on Thursday, June 3. The traditional dish is chiriuchu, which combines guinea pig, chicken, rocoto pepper and other Andean ingredients. More dishes in our guide to Andean food in Cusco.

Inti Raymi 2027 Travel Plan: 5 Days in Cusco

Prices per person, on shared tours.

Day	2027 date	What you do	Tour	From
1	Monday, June 21	Arrive in Cusco and acclimatize	—	—
2	Tuesday, June 22	Cathedral, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán and three more Inca sites	Cusco City Tour	US$40
3	Wednesday, June 23	Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Maras	Sacred Valley VIP tour	US$90
4	Thursday, June 24	Inti Raymi: Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán	On request	Based on your proposal
5	Friday, June 25	Machu Picchu by train, there and back in one day	Machu Picchu Full Day	US$300 (tourist-class train)
Total			3 priced tours	From US$430 (US$172 online)

US$40 + US$90 + US$300 = US$430 per person. You pay 40% of each tour when you book, US$172 in total, and the balance when you arrive in Peru. The on-request Inti Raymi service, hotels and flights are separate.

Why this order. We recommend the City Tour after at least one day in Cusco, as an acclimatization outing, and this way you see the Qorikancha and Sacsayhuamán with a guide before they fill with crowds. The Sacred Valley is lower than Cusco, at about 2,800 to 3,000 m (9,190 to 9,840 ft) on the valley floor, and gives you the context to understand Machu Picchu.

Why Machu Picchu isn’t on the 24th. The Full Day leaves Cusco around 4:00 a.m. and returns between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.: that day you’d miss all three Inti Raymi stages. On the 25th, with the festival behind you, go to bed early the night before, because it’s a day of about 16 to 18 hours. From 2027 a guide is mandatory at Machu Picchu, and it’s already included in our tours.

With Machu Picchu in 2 days. If you’d rather spend the night in Aguas Calientes, swap the Full Day for the 2-day Machu Picchu tour (from US$350, with tourist-class train and hotel) on June 25 and 26. Total: US$40 + US$90 + US$350 = US$480, with US$192 online. These tours are covered in detail in our guide to 3 days in Cusco.

A Short Plan for Qoyllur Rit’i

• Cusco first: acclimatize for 2 or 3 days before the pilgrimage; the Cusco City Tour is a good outing for those days.
• The pilgrimage: around May 22 to 25. It isn’t a fixed departure: we organize it on request and send you a proposal for your dates.
• Afterwards: Machu Picchu, as a Full Day or over 2 days.

How to Book: Machu Picchu First

Ticket sales for 2027 don’t have a date yet, but there’s no need to wait: our team keeps a close eye on the peak-demand dates. Circuits and routes are in our guide to Machu Picchu tickets. Once that date is confirmed, we build the rest of the week around it. Guides in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Inti Raymi 2027?

On Thursday, June 24, 2027; the date is the same every year. It starts early at the Qorikancha, continues mid-morning in the Plaza de Armas and ends at Sacsayhuamán, from midday or early afternoon.

How much does it cost to see Inti Raymi?

It depends on where you watch it. At the Qorikancha, in the Plaza de Armas and from the hillsides at Sacsayhuamán it’s free, standing. The grandstands are paid: the price depends on the grandstand and is published each year.

Where can I buy Inti Raymi tickets?

Only through EMUFEC’s official channels. In 2026 the grandstands sold out before the festival, and in 2025 there was resale and fake websites. If you like, we can help on request.

When is Qoyllur Rit’i 2027?

Around Saturday, May 22 to Tuesday, May 25, 2027. The exact date is set by the Brotherhood, and we confirm it when you book.

Can I go to Qoyllur Rit’i as a tourist?

Yes, respectfully: it’s a religious festival. You walk about 8 km from Mahuayani to over 4,600 m (15,000 ft) and sleep in a tent, in serious cold. We organize it on request. If you’d prefer something quieter, the Ausangate 7 Lakes tour takes you to the foot of the same apu in one day.

Can I visit Machu Picchu on the day of Inti Raymi?

We don’t recommend it: the Full Day leaves around 4:00 a.m. and returns at night, so you’d miss the festival. Do Machu Picchu on June 25 and book it first.

Experience Cusco’s Festivals with a Local Operator

If the plan works for you, book your dated tours: the City Tour, the Sacred Valley VIP and the Machu Picchu Full Day for Inti Raymi week, or the Ausangate 7 Lakes tour to see the apu of Qoyllur Rit’i in one day. You pay 40% online and the balance when you arrive in Peru.

Want to experience Inti Raymi or Qoyllur Rit’i with us? Write to us with your dates and we’ll put together a proposal on request.