Guatemala has a dense calendar of national holidays, religious processions, cultural festivals, and food traditions — many tied to specific dates that don’t shift between years. This is a complete, continuously updated calendar of every major recurring event in Guatemala, with separate guides for each.

Need to know which days are paid public holidays / when banks close? This page covers cultural events with full guides. For the legal Labor Code holiday list (asuetos oficiales) with bank/government closure schedules and asueto pay rules, see our Guatemala Holidays 2026 page.
Looking for a concert or a show with tickets on sale right now? This page covers the recurring calendar. For the dated, one-off stuff — concerts, theatre, comedy, festivals and races — see Concerts & live events in Guatemala, a table rebuilt every day from the ticketers themselves with venue, price in quetzales and a link to buy.

Most of the dates below are fixed (same date every year) unlike US holidays that float by Sunday. The two exceptions are Semana Santa (lunar calendar, falls March or April) and any patron-saint feria specific to your municipality (see our 340-feria calendar for those).

In short: Guatemala’s biggest recurring events use fixed dates (not floating Sundays like the US). Top dates: Semana Santa (variable, Mar 29-Apr 5 in 2026), Día de la Madre May 10 (Decree 1794), Día del Maestro June 25, Día del Padre June 17 (4 days before US), Independence Day Sep 15, Día de los Santos Nov 1 (fiambre + giant kites), Quema del Diablo Dec 7, and Nochebuena Dec 24 (the main Christmas celebration). Rabin Ajaw (late July, Cobán) is the country’s premier Q’eqchi’ cultural festival. Each event has its own deep guide linked below. Verified May 2026.

Major events by month

January

  • Año Nuevo (January 1) — National holiday. Fireworks at midnight, family lunch on Jan 1. Banks and government offices closed.
  • Boleto de Ornato — Annual residence tax due by January 31. See our boleto de ornato guide.

February

  • Día del Cariño (February 14) — Guatemala’s version of Valentine’s Day. Called “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Day of Love and Friendship) — celebrates friends as much as romantic partners. Not a public holiday.

March

  • Día Internacional de la Mujer (March 8) — International Women’s Day. Marches, public events, growing significance.
  • Semana Santa (variable, March or April) — Holy Week. Antigua hosts the largest celebrations in the Americas. Read our Semana Santa 2026 guide with full procession schedules and dates.

April

  • Semana Santa (continued) — Easter Sunday is the spike day, but the full week has events. Hotels in Antigua book 2-3 months in advance.

May

  • Día del Trabajo (May 1) — Labor Day. National paid holiday.
  • Día de la Madre (May 10, fixed every year) — Mother’s Day. Set by Decree 1794 of 1968. Always May 10, regardless of weekday. Paid day off for working mothers. Read our Mother’s Day guide — date, traditions (serenata at dawn, Las Mañanitas, family lunch with pepián), how to say “Happy Mother’s Day” in Spanish + 5 Mayan languages, gift ideas, and how diaspora send money/flowers/flights from the US.

June

  • Día del Padre (June 17, fixed every year) — Father’s Day. Always June 17. Different from US Father’s Day (3rd Sunday). Read our Father’s Day Guatemala guide with remittance timing and gift ideas.
  • Día del Maestro (June 25, fixed every year) — Teacher’s Day. Commemorates María Chinchilla, killed in the 1944 protests that led to Guatemala’s October Revolution. Schools have ceremonies; NOT a public holiday. Read our Día del Maestro in Guatemala guide with traditional gifts, school activities, and the María Chinchilla story.

July

  • Rabin Ajaw (late July, Cobán) — Q’eqchi’ Maya cultural festival, indigenous queen pageant in 14 traditional dresses. One of Guatemala’s most photographed cultural events. Read our Rabin Ajaw guide with travel + accommodation + Semuc Champey combo itinerary.

August

  • Feria de Jocotenango / Asunción (August 15) — Patron saint feast of Guatemala City (fair along Avenida Simeón Cañas, Zona 2) and of Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez. See ferias calendar for details.

September

  • Día del Niño (October 1) — Children’s Day. Schools host activities; NOT a public holiday. Read our Día del Niño Guatemala guide with gift ideas + diaspora gestures + where to take kids.
  • Día de la Independencia (September 15) — Independence Day. Two-day celebration with the Antorcha de la Independencia arriving the evening of September 14. Read our Independence Day guide with traditions, food, and history.

October

  • Día de la Hispanidad / Día de la Raza (October 12) — Columbus Day equivalent. Lower-key in Guatemala than in some Latin American countries.
  • Día de la Revolución (October 20) — Anniversary of the 1944 democratic revolution. Some observances; not a paid holiday for most.

November

  • Día de los Santos / Todos los Santos (November 1) — All Saints’ Day. National paid holiday. Families visit cemeteries, eat fiambre (Guatemala’s signature day-of-the-dead salad — see our fiambre recipe). The same day, Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez host the Festival of Giant Kites (Barriletes Gigantes) — massive 20-meter paper kites flown to communicate with ancestors. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage candidate. Coming soon: dedicated guide.
  • Día de los Difuntos (November 2) — Day of the Dead. Cemetery visits continue; in some regions distinct from Nov 1, in most overlapping.
  • Día Garífuna (November 26) — Honoring the Garífuna people of Livingston, Izabal. Cultural celebrations on the Caribbean coast.

December

  • Quema del Diablo (December 7, 6:00 PM sharp) — “Burning of the Devil.” Families burn devil-shaped piñatas and accumulated trash in front of their homes at exactly 6 PM. Marks the start of the Christmas season. See our existing Quema del Diablo guide (English version coming soon).
  • Día de la Concepción (December 8) — Religious processions across the country.
  • Virgen de Guadalupe (December 12) — Major procession in Antigua and across Guatemala. Children dress in traditional indigenous clothing for blessing. Read our Virgen de Guadalupe Guatemala guide with mass schedule + best photo spots + diaspora gestures.
  • Feria de Santo Tomás Chichicastenango (December 13-21) — Famous fair in Chichicastenango, with the Palo Volador ceremony on December 21. World-renowned. See ferias calendar.
  • Posadas (December 16-24) — Nightly processions reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter.
  • Nochebuena (December 24) — The main Christmas celebration in Guatemala — family dinner at midnight, tamales colorados/negros, ponche, fireworks at midnight. Christmas Day (Dec 25) is quieter.
  • Año Viejo (December 31) — New Year’s Eve. Massive fireworks countrywide at midnight.

How we use this calendar

Each event above gets its own evergreen guide with:

  • Confirmed date + history + legal basis
  • Real prices, real schedules, real data (no vague “celebrations include…” filler)
  • For diaspora-relevant events: live remittance comparison, shipping timing, flight prices
  • For tourism events: where to be, what to expect, what to bring
  • FAQ schema and structured data so Google can surface answers directly

Pages are refreshed every year as dates and prices update — we don’t publish “X 2026” pages that go stale on January 1. The URL stays the same, the content stays current.

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If you’re diaspora in the US planning the year, an expat in Guatemala, or a tourist trying to time a visit around something specific — this is the master calendar. Each event link goes to a deep guide. We’ll add a notification when a major event is within 30 days.

For anything municipality-specific (your town’s patron saint feria), see the 340 ferias calendar instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important holidays in Guatemala?

Guatemala’s most important national holidays are Semana Santa (Holy Week, March or April), Mother’s Day (May 10, fixed date), Father’s Day (June 17, fixed date), Independence Day (September 15), Día de los Santos (November 1, with fiambre and giant kite festivals), Quema del Diablo (December 7), and Christmas Eve (December 24, the main Christmas celebration). Many also celebrate Día del Cariño (February 14) and Día del Niño (October 1).

Does Guatemala celebrate Mother's Day on the same day as the US?

No. Guatemala celebrates Mother’s Day on May 10 every year (fixed date, set by Decree 1794 of 1968). The United States celebrates Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May (a floating date). They sometimes coincide — in 2026 both happen May 10 — but in 2027 US Mother’s Day will be May 9 while Guatemala’s stays May 10.

Does Guatemala celebrate Father's Day on the same day as the US?

No. Guatemala celebrates Father’s Day on June 17 every year (fixed date). The United States celebrates Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June (a floating date). In 2026, US Father’s Day is June 21 — four days after Guatemala’s. This trips up many diaspora families every year.

When is Guatemala Independence Day?

Guatemala Independence Day is September 15 every year, commemorating the 1821 declaration of independence from Spain by all five Central American nations. Festivities span September 14-15 with the Antorcha de la Independencia (independence torch relay arriving September 14 evening), parades, fireworks, marimba music, and traditional foods. September 15 is a national paid holiday.