Cusco transforms at the end of each year into a stage full of history, rituals, and one-of-a-kind celebrations. If you’re wondering where to spend New Year’s in Peru, this article will give you all the info you need to live it fully—on purpose and with heart.
Spending New Year’s in Cusco is a transformative experience that blends tradition, energy, and emotion in a single moment. In this sacred corner of the Andes, saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one becomes a journey between the spiritual and the festive, between the ancestral and the modern.
Dear travelers, in the lines ahead you’ll find helpful details about the most popular celebrations, traditions, and customs for welcoming the new year in Cusco.
In the Andes, the arrival of the new year is marked by ancient rituals that connect the body, spirit, and earth. At sunrise or sunset on December 31st, many people take part in a florecimiento bath—a traditional ceremony to cleanse negative energy and attract blessings. With clear intention, these baths can also be done at home. All you need are rose petals (or any flower petals), aromatic herbs, and fresh water. Your body is cleansed, and with it, your intentions for what’s to come.
Other meaningful traditions include wearing yellow, red, or green underwear—each color attracting luck, love, or prosperity respectively—eating 12 grapes at midnight (one wish per grape), or burning palo santo and copal to cleanse your space and welcome in new energy. These rituals are deeply rooted in Cusco homes, but they’re open to all travelers who wish to join with curiosity and respect.
To energetically cleanse a space, you can do a sahumo (a kind of herbal smoke ritual) using boiled plants of your choice. Popular options include rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, or muña (Andean mint). One plant that’s especially revered by locals is rue (ruda). Gently sweeping your home with a bundle of rue—as if using a feather duster—symbolically clears out negativity and invites in good fortune.
Once this energetic cleanse is complete, you can enhance the vibe with spiritual waters. These include Agua Florida (the most popular, made with flowers, citrus, and spices), Rose Water (gentle and harmonizing, great for body baths), or Cinnamon Water (attracts prosperity and sweetness). These waters can be sprinkled in spaces or over the body. Their use is intuitive—just pour a little into your palms, breathe in deeply, and let yourself reconnect or clear your mind.
In December, Cusco’s main plazas and historic center streets turn into rivers of color and energy. From early morning till late at night, public spaces fill with street vendors setting up stalls or simple blankets on the ground, offering just about everything: yellow clothes to attract prosperity in the new year, toys, traditional sweets, shoes, affordable clothing, artisan crafts, silver jewelry, local snacks, and good-luck charms. The smell of burning incense and scented candles mixes with the buzz of last-minute gift-hunting, festive decorations, and shoppers looking for meaningful trinkets.
Beneath this seemingly chaotic atmosphere pulses the spirit of a city that keeps pushing forward, come rain or shine. This holiday hustle is more than commerce—it’s a reflection of a grassroots economy that never gives up. Every smile, every “¡llévelo caserita!” and every bargain made carries the hope of closing the year with dignity and looking ahead with optimism. In the midst of all the festive chaos, you can feel the unstoppable drive of Peru’s most valuable workers: the vendors.
As night falls, the city lights up with music, dancing, and nonstop movement. Cusco’s Plaza de Armas becomes the heart of the celebration. Live bands, traditional dances, and a buzzing mix of tourists and locals create an electric atmosphere. You’ll likely run into groups of dancers performing huaynos, tinkus, or carnavales accompanied by charangos, quenas, and drums. These ancestral sounds fill the night with joyful energy that brings everyone together.
At midnight, fireworks light up the sky, and thousands of people run around the plaza in circles—a beloved tradition said to attract travel and movement in the year ahead. Year after year, both local and international travelers flock to this unforgettable celebration. Couples, groups of friends, and solo travelers alike leave home behind to ring in the new year right here—dragging their suitcase for good luck or holding hands with the love of their life.
Some say just one lap around the plaza is enough. Others believe spending New Year’s Eve here, surrounded by people from all over the world, is everything. In past years, fireworks were used extensively; although now there are regulations, some people still purchase and light them.
Beyond the historic center, Cusco’s traditional neighborhoods also celebrate in their own way. Places like San Blas, San Pedro, or Santiago come alive with neighborhood fairs, live music, homemade fireworks, and shared community dinners. The San Pedro Market is a must-visit if you want to feel the soul of the people—amid fruits, bread, laurel leaves, and Andean herbs, families shop while exchanging warm wishes with total strangers.
Food plays a big role in welcoming the new year. Many homes prepare oven-roasted pork, tamales, panetón with hot chocolate, or crispy pork (chicharrón) for breakfast on January 1st. Out on the streets, you’ll find anticuchos, boiled corn with cheese, or traditional picarones (fried squash donuts drizzled in syrup). Eating during the New Year is also a ritual—each flavor carries a wish, and each toast is filled with shared hope.
Why pork? Because unlike chickens or turkeys that scratch backward, pigs root forward when they eat. It’s seen as a symbol of progress and moving ahead. So, enjoying pork at New Year’s is a way to wish for growth, success, and dreams fulfilled in the year to come.
Whether you're in the mood for a peaceful dinner or a full-on dance party, Cusco has something for every vibe. Restaurants like MAP Café, Cicciolina, or Limo offer special menus with views of the plaza, while boutique hotels host dinner shows with folk dances, toasts, and symbolic rituals.
If you’re looking for more action, clubs like Chango, Fallen Angel, or bars like República del Pisco throw all-night parties mixing Peruvian beats with international hits. This small but vibrant city has something for everyone.
Beyond the festivities, Cusco and the Sacred Valley are favorite destinations for those looking to begin the year with meaning. You’ll find meditation retreats, despacho ceremonies to Pachamama, energy-cleansing baths, and gatherings with Andean masters. Some travelers climb to places like Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, or Moray to greet the first rays of the New Year sun—charging their soul with light.
As the navel of the world, Cusco is home to energy centers and sacred huacas, both in the city and its surroundings. These are places where one can recharge for the days ahead. Traveling with spiritual intention is a powerful way to reconnect with yourself and the natural world.
• Book in advance, especially lodging and dinner reservations—it’s peak season.
• Dress warmly—December nights can be cold, even in the middle of the action.
• Wear something yellow—it’s part of the local tradition for attracting good luck.
• Be cautious with fireworks in public spaces.
• Respect local rituals and traditions—join in with an open mind, attentive heart, and a lot of respect.
• Stay hydrated and take care of your health, especially if it’s your first time at altitude.
• Many central streets close to traffic on New Year’s Eve—plan to walk or arrange transport ahead of time.
A Fresh Start in the Heart of the Andes. New Year’s in the Andes—especially in Cusco—is unforgettable. It’s something you feel with your body, carry in your soul, and treasure forever in your heart. In every street, every gesture, and every glance, a new story is beginning… and a new energy is rising with strength and hope.
New Year’s in Cusco is a deep kind of rebirth. A portal where the old and the new embrace each other, where traditions dance with dreams, and where the traveler stops being a spectator and becomes part of the living heartbeat of everything that’s happening around them.
Happy passengers