Jul 25, 2011
|Last updated on December 3rd, 2020 at 01:43 am
If you’re on a Lima Peru tour during Fiestas Patrias week in Lima, Peru, learn about how to celebrate this Peruvian festival and make the most of the holiday while on your Lima Peru tour. In celebration of Peru’s Independence from Spain in 1824, July 28, and the whole week leading up to it is a national holiday called Fiestas Patrias. Peruvians celebrate their freedom with parades, music, food, dancing, and plenty of time off work.
In the Peruvian capital of Lima, celebrants begin practicing their drum beats and march in line several weeks in advance of the main parade through Lima’s downtown in Miraflores, near Parke Kennedy and trickling down into Barranco.
This giant parade, called the Gran Corso, stops several city blocks as long dragons, elaborate floats, brightly-colored costumes, and powerful drum lines pass through downtown Lima. Β The Gran Corso Fiestas Patrias parade in Lima is a spectacle not to be missed if you are on a Peru tour during Independence Week.
If you are on a Lima Peru tour during Fiestas Patrias, make sure to stake out a good spot near Parke Kennedy in Miraflores for the Gran Corso parade. The parade is several hours long, so make sure to bring a snack.
Or, buy a delicious sandwich and fruit smoothie from the restaurant La Lucha adjacent to Parke Kennedy. There are also many other restaurants nearby, including chifas, Chinese-Peruvian restaurants.
After a bit of watching from Parke Kennedy, you may want to try watching from another part of town. Head south towards Barranco, and you’ll get a chance to view the paraders still in queue. Often, these dancers and floats are much easier to see up close because the crowds are thinner.
down 28 de Julio Avenue to see more of the floats as they prepare to take center stage. There are plenty of other ways to get into the Fiestas Patrias spirit. Many hotels, restaurants, and museums have specials during the Independence Week. Sometimes museums offer free or discounted admission fare as well.
Read all our Lima Peru Tours. You may also want to read our blog post,Β Insiderβs Guide to Lima Peru Tours: 6 Things to Do in Lima Peru.
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