Latin American Festivals Calendar 2027 in Melbourne: Month by Month

Melbourne is home to people from almost every Latin American country, and each community brings its own calendar: Chile's Dieciocho, Colombia's 20 de Julio, Peru's Inti Raymi, Mexico's Grito or Brazil's carnival. This guide brings together the biggest festivals of 2027, month by month, with the date, the country they belong to and an idea of how to celebrate them here.

We'll publish a guide to each festival a few days before the date. Once one is live, you'll see it linked in this list.

January

• 2 to 6 January: Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (Pasto, Colombia). UNESCO-listed: on the 5th everyone paints their face black, and on the 6th comes the Desfile Magno, with talc and giant floats.
• 6 January: Three Kings' Day (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Argentina and more). The rosca, the hidden figurine and shoes filled with grass for the camels.
• 24 January: Alasitas (La Paz, Bolivia). The fair of miniatures and the Ekeko, god of abundance.

February

• 2 February: Candelaria (Mexico and Puno, Peru). In Mexico it's the day to pay up the tamales from the rosca; in Puno it's the central day of the great dance festival.
• 6 to 9 February: Barranquilla Carnival and Brazilian Carnival. Four days of cumbia, marimondas, samba and blocos. The same weekend is the opening parade of the Oruro Carnival (Bolivia).
• 27 February: Dominican Republic Independence Day.

March

• Early March: National Grape Harvest Festival (Vendimia) in Mendoza, Argentina. Date to be confirmed.
• 8 March: International Women's Day.
• 21 to 28 March: Holy Week, with processions in Popayán, Antigua Guatemala, Ayacucho and Taxco. Easter Sunday is 28 March.

April

• Late April: Vallenato Legend Festival in Valledupar, Colombia. Date to be confirmed.
• 30 April: Children's Day in Mexico.

May

• 5 May: Cinco de Mayo, the Battle of Puebla (not Mexican Independence Day).
• 9 May: Mother's Day in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and also Australia. In Mexico and El Salvador it's the 10th.
• 14 and 15 May: Paraguay Independence Day.
• 25 May: Argentina's May Revolution, with locro and empanadas.

June

• 20 June: Father's Day across much of Latin America (Australia's is in September).
• 21 June: Andean-Amazonian New Year (Willkakuti) in Bolivia.
• 23 and 24 June: San Juan Night and, all month, Brazil's Festas Juninas.
• 24 June: Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun in Cusco, Peru, and also in Ecuador.

July

• 5 July: Venezuelan Independence Day.
• 9 July: Argentine Independence Day.
• 20 July: Colombian Independence Day.
• 28 July: Peru's Fiestas Patrias.

August

• 1 August: Pachamama Day (Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina).
• Early August: Medellín's Flower Festival, with the silleteros parade. Date to be confirmed.
• 6 August: Bolivian Independence Day.
• 10 August: Ecuadorian Independence Day.
• 15 August: Arequipa's anniversary (Peru).
• 25 August: Uruguayan Independence Day.

September

• 7 September: Brazilian Independence Day.
• 15 September: Independence Day in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
• 15 and 16 September: Mexico's Grito de Independencia.
• 18 September: Amor y Amistad (Colombia's Valentine's Day).
• 18 and 19 September: Chile's Fiestas Patrias, the Dieciocho.

October

• All October: Lord of Miracles in Lima, the "purple month".
• 12 October: Cultural Diversity Day, Hispanic Day or Day of the Encounter of Two Worlds, depending on the country.
• 31 October: Peru's Criollo Song Day (and Halloween).

November

• 1 and 2 November: Day of the Dead in Mexico. In 2027, 2 November falls on Melbourne Cup Day, a public holiday in Melbourne.
• 3 and 28 November: Panama's patriotic holidays.
• 10 November: Tradition Day in Argentina.
• 11 November: Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia).
• 15 November: Mexican Revolution public holiday (the anniversary is the 20th).

December

• 7 December: Little Candles Night (Día de las Velitas) in Colombia.
• 12 December: Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
• 16 to 24 December: Novena de Aguinaldos (Colombia and Ecuador) and Las Posadas (Mexico).
• 24 and 25 December: Christmas Eve and Christmas. See our guide to Latin Christmas in Melbourne.
• 25 to 30 December: Feria de Cali, the salsa festival.
• 31 December: New Year's Eve: 12 grapes, the suitcase and the burning of the Año Viejo doll.

How to celebrate Latin festivals in Melbourne

Melbourne has restaurants, bakeries, grocers, dance schools and bars from almost every country on this list. A few places to start:

• Events: every Latin event in the city, from independence parties to salsa nights, is on the Latinhood events calendar.
• Food from each country: the Latin business directory for Melbourne shows where to eat Colombian, Mexican, Peruvian, Brazilian, Venezuelan or Argentine food.
• Ingredients: grocers such as Grand Laguna in Point Cook, El Mercadito Little Latin Market in Collingwood and Poblano Mexican in Cheltenham stock products from across the region.
• Music and dancing: Bar La Esquina in Footscray has live music; check its calendar for Latin dates.

FAQ

What are the biggest Latin American festivals in 2027?

By size and by how many people celebrate them in Melbourne: the February carnivals (Barranquilla and Brazil), the July independence days (Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia and Peru), the September Fiestas Patrias (Brazil, Central America, Mexico and Chile), the Day of the Dead and Latin Christmas.

When is carnival in 2027?

From Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February 2027. Ash Wednesday is 10 February and Easter Sunday is 28 March.

Where can I find Latin events in Melbourne?

On the Latinhood events calendar, which lists Latin parties, concerts, markets and dance nights in Melbourne and across Australia.

Calendar compiled by Latinhood from organisers and official sources. Dates marked "to be confirmed" change every year; we update them when the official programme is out. Updated November 2026.

Cover photo: Ameliebarajas (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.