Inti Raymi

The three stagings

Inti Raymi, the festival of the Sun, is staged in Cusco on 24 June every year, which is a Thursday in 2027. It is a theatrical recreation of the Inca ceremony, put on by Emufec, the city's festivals company, with more than 800 artists in 2026. The whole ceremony lasts about six hours and moves through three sites.

The staging starts at the Qorikancha with the "Salutation to the Sun God". The temple was built on the orders of Pachacutec, and the convent of Santo Domingo was raised on its foundations after the conquest. In 2026 it began at 8am, with entry an hour earlier. The stand holds 350 seats at 235 soles, the cheapest official ticket.

The Plaza de Armas, historically called Hauqaypata, is the second stage, where the "Meeting of Times" and the coca leaf ceremony take place with local authorities and the characters of the Inti Raymi. In 2026 the performance there started at 11am and was free and open to the public. Of the three, it is the one with no ticket and no walk uphill.

The main ceremony takes place in Quechua at the archaeological park of Sacsayhuaman, about 3,555 meters above sea level. The final rites include the report on the four suyus of the Inca empire, the chicha rite, the sacred fire rite, the llama sacrifice and omens, the sankhu rite and a popular celebration called the Q'ochurikuy. It began at 1pm in 2026. It holds by far the most seats.

Where it comes from

According to the chronicles of Guaman Poma de Ayala and the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, the Inca Pachacutec instituted the festival in the 15th century as a religious celebration of the sun god Inti, held at the winter solstice, 21 June. Garcilaso says it lasted 15 days. It was banned during the Spanish conquest and the viceroyalty as pagan, and in remote places it went on in secret.

The modern version dates from 1944. On 8 January of that year Cusco agreed to hold Cusco Day and a revived Inti Raymi every 24 June, and the first contemporary staging was on 24 June 1944 at Sacsayhuaman, with President Manuel Prado as guest of honor. The Quechua scholar Faustino Espinoza Navarro wrote the first script and played Pachacutec. Peru declared the festival part of its national cultural heritage on 3 March 2001. Today the Cusco municipality organizes it through Emufec.

Tickets

In 2026 Emufec sold 4,116 seats and all of them were gone before the day. The Sacsayhuaman stands had 3,766 seats in four categories, from 490 to 850 soles depending on position. The Qorikancha stand had 350 seats at 235 soles, and combined packages for both ran from 690 to 1,030 soles. The 2027 prices have not been published.

Emufec says that the only authorized seller is Teleticket and that it makes no in-person sales. Resale at inflated prices was reported in 2025, and tourists were scammed with fake tickets, so buy only through the official channel.

Watching free

The Plaza de Armas is free and open to the public. At Sacsayhuaman, spectators also watch from the hills around the esplanade without a seat: about 15,000 people were expected to do so in 2023, according to Emufec.

Altitude

Cusco is high, and Sacsayhuaman is higher still, at about 3,555 meters. If you come from near sea level, the first day is for resting. If your trip adds trekking, insurance for hiking above 3,000 m covers the altitude caps in policy wording. Machu Picchu is lower than Cusco, and Machu Picchu tickets explains the circuits if you are adding it.

Where to sleep

In Cusco's historic center, hotels near the Plaza de Armas or the Qorikancha put you a short walk from the first two stagings. La República's festival lodging roundup also names Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, for longer stays that combine Inti Raymi with Machu Picchu, and says demand for lodging is usually high during the festivities.

Our pick near the Plaza de ArmasSonesta Hotel Cusco4-star hotel, $$$

• Walk to the Plaza de Armas and Qorikancha
• Guest rating of 9.2/10 from 1,618 reviews

Check availabilityWe may earn a commission. It never decides our picks.

What to skip

Do not buy a seat from a stranger. Emufec names a single authorized platform, and tickets resold at several times their face value were reported in 2025.

Do not treat the three stagings as one event. In 2026 they ran at 8am, 11am and 1pm, so decide which one you are there for, and leave time to get up to Sacsayhuaman.