Quick Summary: Cusco's holiday week has two free events in the Plaza de Armas, the Santurantikuy craft fair (22 to 24 December in 2025) and the New Year's Eve party, while Machu Picchu runs at its higher 5,600-a-day cap on 30 and 31 December. The hard part is booking: when 2026 dates went on sale in November 2025, the busiest entry slots for early January sold out within minutes, and both train companies were taking 2027 bookings by October 2026. Santurantikuy 2026 had not been announced as of 21 October 2026, so we use the 2025 edition as the pattern. This guide is for travellers spending 24 December to 1 January in Cusco with a Machu Picchu day in the middle; for wet-season conditions, see Visiting Machu Picchu in the Rainy Season.
Santurantikuy: The Christmas Eve Craft Fair
Santurantikuy means "sale of saints" in Quechua (Infobae). Emufec, Cusco's municipal festivities company, traces it to 1698, and it has been national cultural heritage since 2009. Artisans fill the square with Niño Manuelito figures (Cusco's Christ Child), shepherds, Magi and angels for home nativity scenes, plus ceramics, silver, carved wood, candles and traditional toys.
The 2025 edition, from Emufec's official rules and Andina's report on 24 December:
- Dates and hours: 22 to 24 December, 06:00 to 20:00. The 24th is still the main day.
- Size: more than 1,200 exhibitors, and up to 50,000 people in the square at peak hours on the 24th.
- Around it: moss and herbs for nativity scenes in Plaza San Francisco, and smaller fairs in Plaza Almudena and Plaza Túpac Amaru.
- Rules: no food, drink or firecracker sales in the square, and police run an entry and exit circuit.
2026 status: as of 21 October 2026, Emufec's website showed no 2026 dates. It posted the 2025 rules on 12 November, so expect news around mid-November.
Go on the 22nd or 23rd, or early on the 24th: Andina says local families now favour the earlier days. Carry small notes, since the rules warn about counterfeit money, and look for the stalls selling figures, because clothing and leather goods have crept in.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Peru celebrates on the night of the 24th: Misa de Gallo at midnight and family gatherings with panetón and hot chocolate, the classic pairing according to Infobae. Through December, parishes and charities also hold chocolatadas, serving hot chocolate and panetón to children; if you want to help, give through an organiser rather than handing out sweets yourself.
For Christmas Eve Mass, the Cathedral is the obvious choice. PromPerú lists visiting hours of 10:00 to 18:00 daily, holidays included, but a Cusco operator notes the Archdiocese announces special hours for Christmas and New Year. Ask at the door that week.
25 December and 1 January are national holidays, both on a Friday this time (La República), so expect many shops and offices to close. The one closure we confirmed officially: the Museo Histórico Regional (on the Boleto Turístico) closes on both days and opens only 08:00 to 13:00 on 24 and 31 December. Machu Picchu stays open: 25 December is an ordinary 4,500-visitor day.
New Year's Eve in the Plaza de Armas
Last year's party, from Andina's preview and Panamericana's report:
- Programme: the Saminchay, an Inca ritual of good wishes, at 18:00 in front of the Cathedral, then live bands, with fireworks just before midnight.
- Crowd: more than 40,000 people, in drizzle at midnight, with no serious incidents.
- Customs: yellow dominates, people carry suitcases, fruit and flowers for luck (Andina), and the crowd walks a lap of the square after the countdown.
- Logistics: more than 300 police in the square, streets around it closed to traffic from 15:00, and clearing from 03:00.
Fireworks: Peru's regulator, SUCAMEC, allows sales to the public only at authorised fairs (Panamericana), and on 17 December 2025 none of the four in the country was in Cusco (Caretas). Skip the street rockets, keep valuables in a front pocket, agree a meeting point and bring a rain layer. Cusco sits at about 3,399 m (11,152 ft), so go easy on the drinks if you have just arrived.
Machu Picchu Tickets for the Holiday Dates
In 2026 the cap is 5,600 on 30 and 31 December (and was on 1 January 2026), against 4,500 on other days (Andina). That does not make tickets easy: when 2026 dates opened on 17 November 2025, the busiest slots for the first five days sold out within minutes, Cusco's travel agencies association told Infobae.
- Now: on 11 October 2026 the Ministry said about 56,000 tickets were left for all of December (Infobae). That is a monthly total, so check your exact date and hour.
- Buying: only on tuboleto.cultura.pe or in Machu Picchu Pueblo. Online you get 15 minutes to pay and the ticket carries your name (Andina). Foreign adults pay about S/163 (roughly US$47).
- 1 January 2027: in mid-October the portal sold dates only to 31 December 2026, and the 2027 cap is unpublished. The 2026 dates opened on 17 November 2025, but early January 2025 opened only on 19 December 2024 (Infobae).
- In person: up to 1,000 a day at the Machu Picchu Pueblo office, mainly for the next day. They ran out for 14 to 16 October 2026, so treat them as a backup.
If your date has gone, see our sold-out options; for other months, the lead-time guide.
Trains Over the Holidays
We found no published data on how early trains sell out for New Year, so buy yours the day you buy the entry ticket. PeruRail and Inca Rail were both advertising 2027 bookings on 21 October 2026. One-way fares start at about US$59 to US$60, or about US$87 for Vistadome (Seat61, June 2026); our PeruRail vs Inca Rail guide compares classes.
- From Cusco after New Year: PeruRail's May to December timetable runs trains from Cusco's Poroy and San Pedro stations, but its January to April 2026 timetable served Cusco only by bus to Pachar or Ollantaytambo. If 2027 repeats that, expect a bus start on 1 January.
- Hiram Bingham: runs daily except the last Sunday of the month, which is 27 December 2026.
- Buffer: on 30 December 2025 two trains collided head-on near Ollantaytambo, killing a driver and injuring 40; about 2,000 people were evacuated overnight and service resumed the next day (AFP). PeruRail said affected Machu Picchu tickets were honoured (Canal N). Keep a spare day before any flight.
- Bus up: about US$12 one way or US$24 return, first departure about 05:30. We recommend it both ways, especially in rain.
December Weather and the Inca Trail
This is the rainy season. SENAMHI's 1991–2020 averages for its Machu Picchu station (2,399 m, 7,871 ft), as tabulated on Wikipedia, give about 275 mm of rain in December and 341 mm in January, with highs near 21 °C and lows near 12 °C. Cusco is drier and colder: older airport averages (1961–1990) give December about 125 mm over roughly 17 rainy days, with lows near 8 °C. Our best-time guide compares the months.
- Inca Trail: open in December and January, closed every February. In 2026 it closed on 31 January and reopened on 1 March (La República); in 2025, landslides kept it shut until 31 March (Infobae).
- Permits: 500 users a day on the Classic routes, 250 on the one-day route. No 2027 sale date had been announced by 21 October 2026, so a 1 January 2027 start cannot be booked yet.
Day by Day: 24 December to 1 January
| Date | What's on | Closed or limited | Booking tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Dec | Santurantikuy's main day; midnight Mass, chocolate and panetón | Museo Histórico Regional mornings only | Visit the fair early |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day, national holiday | Museo Histórico Regional; many shops | Travel or rest; Machu Picchu open |
| Sat 26 Dec | Ordinary day | None known | Machu Picchu, 4,500 cap |
| Sun 27 Dec | Ordinary day | No Hiram Bingham train | Machu Picchu, 4,500 cap |
| Mon 28 Dec | Ordinary day | None known | Our preferred Machu Picchu window |
| Tue 29 Dec | Ordinary day | None known | Return to Cusco by the 30th |
| Wed 30 Dec | Machu Picchu high-season day | None known | 5,600 cap, 45 minutes' grace |
| Thu 31 Dec | Saminchay at 18:00, midnight fireworks | Streets around the square closed to traffic from 15:00; museum mornings only | Book Cusco hotels now |
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day, national holiday | Museo Histórico Regional; many shops | 2027 tickets unconfirmed; bus-plus-train from Cusco |
A Plan That Works (and What to Book Now)
Our pick: arrive by 22 December to acclimatise and catch the calmer Santurantikuy days. Spend Christmas Eve in the square, rest or travel on the 25th, and visit Machu Picchu on 27, 28 or 29 December after a night in Aguas Calientes. Be back in Cusco by the 30th for New Year's Eve, and keep 1 January free. We would avoid the 31st (no margin on the busiest night) and the 1st (first buses at about 05:30, hours after the countdown).
Book now, in this order:
- Machu Picchu ticket, with every traveller's passport details ready for the 15-minute payment window.
- Trains: out the day before your visit, back the afternoon after.
- Hotels in Aguas Calientes and in Cusco for 30 and 31 December; the regional tourism office expected more than 100,000 visitors in the week to New Year 2026 (Andina).
- Flights out no earlier than the day after your Machu Picchu return.
Santurantikuy, the Cathedral and New Year's Eve need no tickets. Skip this week if you want the Inca Trail without permits in hand, or dry trails; our Cusco shortlist works in any month.
FAQ
When is Santurantikuy in 2026?
Not announced as of 21 October 2026. In 2025 it ran 22 to 24 December, 06:00 to 20:00, with the 24th as the main day.
Is Machu Picchu open on Christmas Day and New Year's Day?
Yes. 25 December 2026 is an ordinary 4,500-visitor day. The 2026 calendar gave 1 January a 5,600 cap, but the 2027 calendar was unpublished in October 2026.
How far ahead should I book Machu Picchu for 30 December to 1 January?
As soon as your dates are fixed. The busiest early-January slots for 2026 sold out within minutes of going on sale, and December 2026 tickets were already selling in October.
Can I buy Machu Picchu tickets in Aguas Calientes over the holidays?
Up to 1,000 a day are sold in person, mostly for the next day. They sold out on busy days in October 2026, so treat them as a backup.
Is the Inca Trail open at Christmas and New Year?
Yes, it closes only in February. Permits are the problem: no 2027 sale date had been announced by 21 October 2026.
What should I wear on New Year's Eve in Cusco?
Something yellow, plus a waterproof layer and shoes with grip. It drizzled at midnight in 2025, and Cusco nights are cold.
Is New Year's Eve in the Plaza de Armas safe?
In 2025 more than 40,000 people attended with more than 300 police in the square, and no serious incidents were reported. Watch for pickpockets in the crush and agree a meeting point in case you lose your group.
Do trains run from Cusco city on 1 January?
In January 2026, PeruRail served Cusco only by bus from Wanchaq station, connecting with the train at Pachar or Ollantaytambo. If the pattern repeats, expect the same in January 2027, and check your ticket.
Does it rain at Machu Picchu in late December?
Usually. SENAMHI's averages give about 275 mm in December, so pack a rain jacket. Umbrellas are not allowed inside the site.
What is closed in Cusco on 25 December and 1 January?
Both are national holidays, so many shops and offices close, and the Museo Histórico Regional is shut. We found no official holiday hours for most other sites, so check the day before.
Limitations
Holiday programmes, ticket calendars, caps, timetables and museum hours can change, and the 2026 Santurantikuy and New Year details were unannounced when we wrote this, so event details follow 2025. This guide reflects sources read as of October 2026. Rain can close trails and the railway at short notice. Work-around: before booking, check your exact date and hour on tuboleto.cultura.pe and both train websites, and watch Emufec's site for Santurantikuy news from mid-November.