Jan 6 Los Reyes de Tiabaya, where families visit the district of Tiabaya to shake the pear trees.
Feb 3 Festival of Virgen de la Candelaria in Cayma and Characato, where fireworks are set off the night before.
Feb (second half) Carnaval Arequipeño, where a carnival queen is chosen, and there are parades and folkloric dance competitions. Water (and sometimes other things) is thrown on passers by to celebrate.
Mar/Apr The Semana Santa (holy week) celebrations in Arequipa take the form of massive processions in the centre of town, with participants dressed in mourning clothes, in the style of Seville in Spain. On the morning of Easter Sunday, effigies of Judas are burnt in different locations of the city.May 1 Fiesta de la Virgen de Chapi, and many people travel to Chapi to venerate the virgin, who is the most important in the region.
June 24 Día del Characato with bullfights and festivities in the district of Characato.
June 24 Fiesta of San Juan Bautista in Yanahuara.
July 16 Festival of Virgen del Carmen, where groups dance’Los Turkos’, representing the resistance of the Indian population to Spanish domination.
Aug The main celebrations in Arequipa occur in August to mark the founding of the city in 1540. Typically, a dance exhibition, Festidanza, with participants from all over South America, happens. There is an enlarged crafts market at the Fundo El Fierro, and there is an interesting general trade exhibition at the FIA. There are also massive rock concerts at the FIA, featuring musicians from all of Peru and Latin America. The night of the 14th there are firework displays all over the city. On the 15th there is a mass ascent of Misti and a parade around the centre of Arequipa.
Aug 30 Festival of Santa Rosa de Lima in La Tomilla.
Sep 8 Festival of the Virgen de los Remedios in Socabaya.
Oct 8 Fiesta of the Virgen del Rosario, in Yarabamba, Yanahuara and Yura.
Oct 15-19 Feria Agropecuaria in Viraco, with bullfights.
Oct 18 (and most of month) Celebrations for the Señor de los Milagros, similar to the celebrations in Lima, although on a less grand scale. The faithful dress in mauve for the month, and there are processions carrying the statue of the Lord throughout the city, with the streets decorated with flower petals.
Nov For the whole month guaguas (manjar-filled pastries) are eaten.
Nov 2 Day of the dead, when deceased relatives are visited in cemeteries.
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