Inti Raymi Festival Guide 2027: Cusco's Festival of the Sun

On the morning of June 24, Cusco wakes up to drums. By 8 a.m. the lawn below the Qoricancha is ringed with people, by late morning the Plaza de Armas is packed shoulder to shoulder, and by early afternoon tens of thousands are gathered around the great stone walls of Sacsayhuamán. This Inti Raymi festival guide is what we tell our own guests who want to see the Festival of the Sun: when the next one is (Thursday, June 24, 2027), what happens at each of the three stages, how tickets and seating work, and how to handle the crowds. We also cover two other June festivals worth planning around, Corpus Christi and Qoyllur Rit'i.

What is the Inti Raymi festival?

Inti Raymi means "Festival of the Sun" in Quechua. According to the chroniclers Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Guamán Poma de Ayala, it was instituted by the Inca Pachacuti in the 15th century and held around the winter solstice (the Southern Hemisphere's shortest day) to honor Inti, the sun, and ask for good harvests. After the Spanish conquest, colonial authorities banned it as pagan.

The modern version is a staged re-creation. Cusco revived it in 1944, when June 24 was declared the Day of Cusco, and the first contemporary performance took place at Sacsayhuamán that year, with Quechua scholar Faustino Espinoza Navarro writing the script and playing the Inca. Today the Provincial Municipality of Cusco produces it through its festivals company, EMUFEC, and the whole ceremony is performed in Quechua. If you want to understand the empire behind the pageant, our https://machulasjourney.com/blog/machu-picchu-history/ article is a good primer.

Inti Raymi 2027: date and schedule

The Inti Raymi festival always takes place on June 24. In 2027 that is a Thursday. The full ceremony lasts about six hours and moves across the city in three acts. Based on the 2026 schedule reported by Infobae, timing looks roughly like this (EMUFEC confirms exact times each year):

Qoricancha: the opening

The first act takes place on the esplanade below the Qoricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun later built over by the Santo Domingo convent. The setting is small and intimate, which is why its few hundred seats sell first. If you want to catch it without a ticket, people line the streets and the edges of Avenida El Sol early.

Haukaypata: the Plaza de Armas

Haukaypata was the Inca name for the main square, and it is the most accessible stage: free and open to everyone. The catch is space. Arrive by 9:30 a.m. if you want a view, ideally from a spot along the cathedral side, and expect to stand. Balcony restaurants around the plaza sometimes sell window tables for the morning; ask directly and expect a minimum spend.

Sacsayhuamán: the main ceremony

The heart of the Inti Raymi festival takes place on the Chukipampa esplanade inside the Sacsayhuamán archaeological park, above the city at about 3,700 m (12,100 ft). Here the Inca receives reports from the four suyos, or regions of the empire, followed by rituals with chicha, sacred fire and the ritual llama offering, and finally songs and dances. Grandstands face the performance area; around them, the Ministry of Culture designates public viewing areas such as Suchuna and Cruz del Papa, where many Cusco families watch from the slopes without a seat.

How do Inti Raymi tickets work?

EMUFEC sells numbered grandstand seats at Sacsayhuamán and a single stand at the Qoricancha. In 2025, EMUFEC said its tickets were sold only through the Teleticket platform, priced in soles. For 2026, Infobae reported these figures:

• Sacsayhuamán: about 3,766 seats in four categories, from S/490 to S/850 depending on how close you sit to the main stage (very roughly US$140–250).
• Qoricancha: about 350 seats at S/235.
• Combined Qoricancha + Sacsayhuamán: S/690 to S/1,030.

All 4,116 seats sold out a week before the 2026 festival. Prices and categories change each year, so treat these as a guide and confirm with EMUFEC once 2027 sales open.

A warning we repeat every year: in 2025 Cusco prosecutors opened an investigation into fake Inti Raymi tickets sold through unofficial websites, WhatsApp and social media, sometimes for more than US$300. Buy only from the official channel or through a licensed agency you have checked, and be wary of anyone offering "VIP access" in a hurry.

Is the Inti Raymi worth it? Crowds and booking tips

Honestly, yes, if you go in with the right expectations. It is a theatrical re-creation rather than a religious rite, it is long, and the sun at Sacsayhuamán is strong even in June. But the sound of hundreds of performers and the whole city out on the streets is something you do not forget. Infobae reported that more than 300,000 visitors were expected in Cusco during the June 2026 festivities.

• Book hotels early. For June 2027, reserve Cusco accommodation as soon as your dates are firm. Prices climb and minimum stays appear.
• Arrive in Cusco at least two days before. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m (11,150 ft), and June 24 is a long day on your feet.
• Dress in layers. June mornings can drop near freezing, and afternoons are bright. Bring sunscreen, a hat and water.
• Plan Machu Picchu around it. Late June is high season at the citadel too; see https://machulasjourney.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-machu-picchu/ and book tickets early.
• Budget for it. Our https://machulasjourney.com/blog/peru-trip-cost-2026/ guide helps you size a June trip.

One of our guides, who grew up in the San Blas neighborhood, skips the grandstands every year. He walks up to Sacsayhuamán with a thermos of coca tea and a bag of roasted corn, finds a spot on the slope among local families, and says the best part is listening to the grandmothers next to him correct the actors' Quechua.

Want a calmer way to see the sites? Visit Qoricancha and Sacsayhuamán a few days before on our half-day Cusco city tour, when you can actually walk the walls. For a June trip built around the festival, our Cusco Classic Tours 6 days or the Cusco city tour, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu 3 days leave room for June 24.

Other Cusco festivals: Corpus Christi and Qoyllur Rit'i

Corpus Christi

Celebrated 60 days after Easter (Thursday, May 27, 2027), Cusco's Corpus Christi brings fifteen images of saints and virgins from parishes across the city to the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, carried by brotherhoods who sometimes walk barefoot. It is the city's most important religious festival, and the traditional dish of the day is chiriuchu, a cold platter with guinea pig, chicken, roasted corn, cheese, seaweed and rocoto. Wash it down with chicha; our https://machulasjourney.com/blog/peruvian-drinks-guide/ article explains the options.

Qoyllur Rit'i

The pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, begins 58 days after Easter (late May in 2027) in the Sinakara valley, near Ausangate. UNESCO estimates around 90,000 people take part, grouped in "nations" by village of origin, with processions on the glacier and around a hundred dances. It is a high-altitude, cold, very demanding pilgrimage and a religious event first; if you go, go with someone who knows the customs.

FAQ

When is Inti Raymi 2027?

Thursday, June 24, 2027. The ceremony starts in the morning at the Qoricancha, continues in the Plaza de Armas and ends in the afternoon at Sacsayhuamán.

Can I watch Inti Raymi for free?

Yes. The Plaza de Armas stage is free, and at Sacsayhuamán there are public viewing areas on the slopes outside the paid grandstands. Expect crowds and arrive early.

How much are Inti Raymi tickets?

For 2026, Sacsayhuamán seats cost S/490 to S/850 and Qoricancha seats S/235, according to Infobae. 2027 prices will be set by EMUFEC.

Is Inti Raymi in Spanish or Quechua?

The ceremony is performed in Quechua. A guide or a little reading beforehand makes it much easier to follow.

If you want us to build your June 2027 trip around the Festival of the Sun, from hotels to seats to a Machu Picchu day that does not clash, write to us on WhatsApp or via https://machulasjourney.com/contact-us/. You can also browse our https://machulasjourney.com/tours/day-tours/ in Cusco or see photos from past seasons in our https://machulasjourney.com/gallery/.

Sources

• Andina — Inti Raymi: what it is, its history and where it takes place in Cusco
• Infobae — Inti Raymi 2026 tickets sold out (June 17, 2026)
• Infobae — Cusco prosecutors investigate fake Inti Raymi ticket sales (2025)
• Andina — Measures to protect Sacsayhuamán during the Inti Raymi
• Andina — Cusco celebrates Corpus Christi with processions of the saints
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage — Pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit'i