AGN, the government news agency, describes the cemeteries becoming spaces of celebration and reflection, as families gather to honour the relatives they have lost. Guatemala shares some customs with Mexico’s Day of the Dead, and it has a tradition of its own whose making technique UNESCO inscribed in 2024 (UNESCO): the giant kites.
The centerpiece is the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes: kites from 2 to 22 metres across, made by Maya-Kaqchikel communities as a spiritual link between the living and the dead (Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes). The Ministry says the kites “pueden o no volarse” (they may or may not be flown); in the 2025 programme the 4-metre kites were scheduled to go up at 2:00 PM. Then there is fiambre, a cold dish of up to 50 ingredients that is prepared days in advance (AGN), and the families gathered at the graves.
Quick reference: November 1, 2026 falls on a Sunday and is a paid holiday under Article 127 of the Código de Trabajo. The giant kite festivals in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez (both in Sacatepéquez department, near Antigua) are the main attractions. Fiambre is the traditional dish. A PROVIAL release of August 28, 2026 puts the 2026 Sumpango festival activity at October 30 to November 2; the programme with times was not on the organisers’ site when it was re-read on October 10, 2026. In the 2025 programme, the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly at 14:00 — see our full Sumpango logistics guide.
When and where: key details for 2026
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | November 1, 2026 (Sunday) |
| Official holiday | Yes — Día de Todos los Santos (Código de Trabajo, Art. 127) |
| Giant kite festival (Sumpango) | November 1 (La Hora, 21 September 2026). 2025 programme: activities from 8:00 AM, exhibition from 8:30 AM, the 4-metre kites scheduled to fly at 14:00 (La Hora). 2026: PROVIAL says the festival activity is scheduled from October 30 to November 2; the programme with times was not on festivaldesumpango.com on October 10, 2026 |
| Giant kite festival (Santiago Sacatepéquez) | Inside the General Cemetery. 2025: organisers listed the exhibition on November 1 and the flight on November 2, from 07:00, free entry; the Ministerio de Cultura listed a 9:00 raising on November 1. 2026: the Asociación de Barriletes de Santiago Sacatepéquez scheduled the exhibition for November 1 and 2 (Emisoras Unidas, June 7, 2026); that report gives no times |
| Cemetery visits | November 1; AGN describes the cemeteries filling with flowers, candles and offerings throughout the day |
| Fiambre served | November 1, shared as a way of honouring the ancestors (AGN) |
| November 2 | Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls’ Day); Santiago’s organisers scheduled their 2025 kite flight for this day |
The giant kites (Barriletes Gigantes)
The technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango was inscribed in 2024 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO), and 2025 was the first festival held under that title (AGN, Prensa Libre). Two towns in Sacatepéquez department hold the main festivals.
Sumpango — the festival on the football field
A 2018 Prensa Libre report said Sumpango’s festival draws more than 100,000 visitors every year. The festival in detail:
The kites: Barriletes range from 2 to 22 metres in diameter (Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes). The Ministry says they “pueden o no volarse” depending on their surface. In the 2025 programme, the 10-15 m (category A) and 4-6 m (category B) kites were exhibited from 8:30 AM, and the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly at 2:00 PM.
The construction: Per the Ministerio de Cultura, building starts in July and ends on October 31. Groups meet to choose a design, paint the canvas at full scale, fix it with rope or twine to a frame of bamboo or caña de castilla, and tie canvas to frame during the night of October 31 and the dawn of November 1. The designs carry messages on current social, political, cultural and environmental themes. For 2026, about 50 groups are preparing in Sumpango (La Hora, September 21, 2026).
The belief: For the Maya-Kaqchikel communities of both towns, the Ministry writes, those who have died become ancestors one can communicate with, and the kites are a spiritual link between the world of the living and the dead.
Practical info for visiting Sumpango:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Distance from Antigua | About 17 km by road and 20 minutes without traffic (OSRM routing, town centre to town centre) — but plan 1h30 each way on the day, the journey time ShuttleNation lists for its November 1 shuttle |
| From Guatemala City | Along the Interamericana: in 2018 Sumpango’s four entrances were at km 40, 43.5, 44.5 and 47, and festival queues ran from km 18 (Ciudad San Cristóbal) to km 40 (Prensa Libre) |
| Entrance fee | Free in 2025: the Municipalidad de Sumpango and the organising committee said entry would be free and open to everyone (La Hora). Re-check for 2026 before you go |
| Attendance | More than 100,000 visitors a year (Prensa Libre, 2018) |
| Parking | 2025: space for 14,000+ vehicles and 10 entry areas (La Hora). Entrances and lots are in our Sumpango logistics guide |
Tips for Sumpango:
- Go early: in 2018 the head of the kite committee said traffic was already building by 9:00 AM
- In 2025 the giant-kite exhibition opened at 8:30 AM and the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly at 2:00 PM — the organisers’ site showed no 2026 times when re-read on October 10, 2026
- Bring sun protection and water
- Stand clear when a giant kite is being lowered: on November 2, 2025 one fell toward a boy in Santiago’s cemetery (he was unhurt)
Santiago Sacatepéquez — the festival in the cemetery
Held among the graves.
Key difference: Santiago’s festival takes place directly in the town’s General Cemetery, among the graves. Its 2025 agenda (Prensa Libre) included a kite workshop in the cemetery on October 26, a Maya ceremony and the Noche de los Emponchados vigil on October 31, the exhibition on November 1 and the flight on November 2, with free entry. For 2026, the Asociación de Barriletes de Santiago Sacatepéquez opened registration in June and scheduled the exhibition for November 1 and 2 (Emisoras Unidas, June 7, 2026); that report gives no agenda or times.
Fiambre — the dish you wait all year for
AGN, Guatemala’s government news agency, calls fiambre the most iconic dish of Día de Todos los Santos in Guatemala, and says sharing it on November 1 is a way of honouring the ancestors and strengthening family ties.
What goes into fiambre
AGN describes fiambre as a complex salad that can include up to 50 ingredients, from these groups:
| Category | What AGN lists |
|---|---|
| Vegetables | Vegetables, including pickled ones (encurtidos) |
| Embutidos | Sausages |
| Cheeses | Cheeses |
| Cold cuts | Carnes frías |
| Seafood | In some versions |
The exact mix is a family matter; our fiambre recipe guide gives a simplified ingredient list and step-by-step instructions.
The two styles
- Fiambre rojo: Contains beetroot, which gives it its characteristic reddish colour (AGN).
- Fiambre blanco: Made without beetroot (AGN).
The preparation
AGN says fiambre is prepared days in advance, that the preparation usually involves several members of the family, and that each household tends to have its own recipe, handed down from generation to generation.
For the full recipe and preparation method, see our fiambre recipe guide.
Cemetery visits — a celebration and reflection
AGN describes Guatemala’s cemeteries on November 1 as becoming spaces of celebration and reflection.
What happens at the cemetery
- Families clean and decorate the graves of their relatives (AGN)
- Flowers, candles and offerings: AGN describes the cemeteries filling with cempasúchil flowers, candles and offerings throughout the day, while people pray, sing and talk about their loved ones
- Fiambre is shared on November 1 as a way of honouring the ancestors (AGN)
- Music and stalls at the capital’s Cementerio General: on November 1, 2023, Emisoras Unidas reported whole families there, the street closed for the traditional stalls and live music at the entrance; it says the visit was accompanied by the marimba Kaibil Balam and the PNC’s marching orchestra
Notable cemeteries to visit
| Cemetery | Location | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|
| Cementerio General | Guatemala City, Zona 3 | On November 1, 2023: whole families, street stalls and live music at the entrance (Emisoras Unidas) |
| Cementerio de Sumpango | Sumpango, Sacatepéquez | The kite festival is on the football field beside it |
| Cementerio de Santiago Sacatepéquez | Santiago, Sacatepéquez | The kites are exhibited inside the cemetery |
How Guatemala’s Day of the Dead differs from Mexico’s
The two celebrations overlap in places and differ in their signature traditions:
| Element | Mexico | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| Iconic tradition | Ofrendas and altars, with sugar skulls (calaveritas de azúcar) (INAFED) | Barriletes gigantes (giant kites) in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez |
| Traditional food | Pan de muerto, mole (INAFED) | Fiambre and dulces típicos; AGN says pan de muerto, although Mexican in origin, is also made in some regions of Guatemala |
| Cemetery activity | Decorating graves with flowers, often with altars on the headstones (INAFED) | Cleaning and decorating the graves, with flowers, candles and offerings (AGN) |
| Flowers | Cempasúchil (INAFED) | Cempasúchil too: AGN describes cemeteries filling with it |
| Spiritual connection | Cempasúchil petals and candles mark the path for returning souls (INAFED) | The kites as a spiritual link between the living and the dead (Ministerio de Cultura) |
The Mexico column follows INAFED, a Mexican federal government institute (November 1, 2019). On the Guatemalan side, UNESCO’s 2024 inscription covers the technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango (UNESCO).
Other November 1 traditions
Dulces típicos
AGN lists dulces típicos alongside fiambre as typical food of the day: higos en miel, camote, ayote, jocotes and torrejas, all cooked in syrup.
Pan de muerto
AGN says pan de muerto, although it originated in Mexico, is also made in some regions of Guatemala for the date.
Getting to Sumpango and Santiago from Antigua
| Option | Details | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shuttle from Antigua | Several operators run Nov-1-only round trips, departing at 07:00 or 08:00 and returning at 14:00 | $25–$30 per person (listed prices; year not stated — confirm when booking) |
| Guided tour, both towns | Santiago and Sumpango, guide + box lunch | $50 per person (Atitrans, listed) |
| Shuttle continuing to Panajachel | Drops you at Lake Atitlán afterwards instead of returning to Antigua | $48 per person (Guatemala Transportation, listed) |
| Shuttle from Guatemala City | Round trip, departs 08:00, returns 14:00 | $35 per person (Atitrans, listed) |
| Chicken bus | The Sacatepéquez extraurbano gremial’s 2026 fare list (Emisoras Unidas, September 24, 2026) has no route to Sumpango, so this page gives no camioneta fare or connection | no fare listed |
All listings above were re-read on September 24, 2026.
⚠ Every shuttle listing in the table above (Atitrans, ShuttleNation and Guatemala Transportation) gives a 14:00 return — the hour the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly in 2025.
None of the operator and news sources listed on this page gives an Uber, taxi or private-car fare for this route, so we do not print one.
Plan 1 hour 30 minutes each way on the day, the journey time ShuttleNation lists for its November 1 shuttle, not the 20 minutes OSRM’s routing gives without traffic. A 2018 Prensa Libre report warned that queues on the Interamericana can reach 22 km, and November 1, 2026 falls on a Sunday and is a national asueto. In 2018 the advice was to leave Sumpango after 8:00 PM to miss the jam.
Driving: in 2018 the kite committee said traffic was already building by 9:00 AM. Sumpango had four entrances from the Interamericana that year (km 40, 43.5, 44.5 and 47) and three parking areas; the full 2018 traffic plan, and the 2025 security deployment, are in our Sumpango logistics guide. For 2026, PROVIAL said on August 28 that it would review the plan of the main entry and exit points with the Municipalidad and other agencies; the resulting traffic plan was not part of that release.
Weather on November 1
November 1 comes just after the rainy season, which the municipal development plan of nearby Antigua Guatemala puts at May to October. Check our live weather page for the forecast in the week before.
Safety and practical tips
- Watch your belongings in the crowds.
- Arrive early, leave late or early. In 2018 the kite committee said traffic was building by 9:00 AM and advised leaving after 8:00 PM.
- Respect the traditions. Ask before touching kites or photographing grieving families at graves.
- Sunscreen and water.
- Comfortable shoes.
For diaspora — celebrating from the US
If you grew up with Día de los Santos and now live in the US:
- Cook fiambre at home — AGN notes it is prepared days in advance, so start early.
- WhatsApp call to family at the cemetery — if your family visits the graves on November 1, a video call lets you join them at abuelo’s grave; agree the time with them beforehand.
- Send remittances for the holiday — November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so if the money is for fiambre shopping, send it during the week before. See our live remittance comparison.
- Local diaspora celebrations — ask your nearest Guatemalan consulate whether it lists any events.
Practical summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | November 1 every year (fixed; Código de Trabajo, Art. 127) |
| Official holiday | Yes — Día de Todos los Santos |
| Main attraction | Giant kite festival in Sumpango (more than 100,000 visitors a year, Prensa Libre 2018) |
| Traditional food | Fiambre (cold salad of up to 50 ingredients, AGN) |
| Best arrival time at Sumpango | Early: the 2025 exhibition opened at 8:30 AM, and in 2018 traffic was building by 9:00 AM |
| Distance from Antigua | About 17 km by road (OSRM) — plan 1h30 each way on the day |
| What to bring | Sunscreen, water, comfortable shoes, camera |
| Weather | Just after the May-October rainy season (Antigua municipal plan) |
Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, técnica de elaboración de los barriletes gigantes de Santiago y Sumpango (read September 24, 2026)
- UNESCO, Technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, Guatemala, inscribed 2024 (19.COM 7.b.41), read October 8, 2026
- PROVIAL via prensa.gob.gt, Barriletes Gigantes: continúa la coordinación para fortalecer la movilidad vial, August 28, 2026 (read October 8, 2026; re-fetch October 10 returned HTTP 403)
- Código de Trabajo, Decree 1441, Art. 127 (Organismo Judicial / CENADOJ edition)
- AGN, El 1 de noviembre se celebra del Día de Todos los Santos and Comidas tradicionales para el 1 de noviembre en Guatemala, both November 1, 2024 (read October 10, 2026); first festival after the inscription, 2025
- La Hora, Sumpango 2025 agenda and 50 groups for 2026
- Prensa Libre, Santiago Sacatepéquez 2025 agenda and 2018 Sumpango schedule, parking and routes
- Emisoras Unidas, Cementerio General, November 1, 2023, kite falls toward a boy, 2025 and Sacatepéquez fare list, September 24, 2026
- Shuttle listings: Atitrans Antigua-Sumpango, Atitrans both towns, Atitrans from Guatemala City, ShuttleNation, Guatemala Transportation (read September 24, 2026)
- Road distance: OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data, read October 10, 2026; organisers’ site festivaldesumpango.com re-read October 10, 2026
- Emisoras Unidas, Santiago Sacatepéquez kite association opens 2026 registration, June 7, 2026 (read October 10, 2026)
- INAFED (Gobierno de México), Día de Muertos, tradición mexicana que trasciende en el tiempo, November 1, 2019 (read October 10, 2026)
- Rainy season May to October: Municipalidad de La Antigua Guatemala, PDM-OT Module 1 (read October 2, 2026)
Related guides
- Halloween in Guatemala — October 31, the night before; not a holiday, and how police handled it in 2025
- Todos Santos Cuchumatán horse race — the November 1 Mam Maya riding ritual in Huehuetenango; the highlands counterpart to the kites
- Guatemala events calendar — every major recurring event
- Quema del Diablo Guatemala — December 7 burning of the devil
- Fiambre recipe — a simplified ingredient list and step-by-step method
- Antigua Guatemala hub — best base for visiting Sumpango
- Sacatepéquez department — area context for Sumpango and Santiago
- Live remittance comparison — sending money for the holiday
- Live weather page — November 1 forecast
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Day of the Dead in Guatemala 2026?
Día de los Santos (Day of All Saints) in Guatemala is celebrated on Sunday, November 1, 2026. November 1 is on the list of paid holidays in Article 127 of Guatemala’s Código de Trabajo, so the date is fixed every year. Some activities extend to November 2 (Día de los Fieles Difuntos / All Souls’ Day): in 2025 Santiago Sacatepéquez’s organisers scheduled their kite flight for November 2, and a PROVIAL release of August 28, 2026 says the 2026 Sumpango festival activity is scheduled from October 30 to November 2.
What are the giant kites in Sumpango Guatemala?
The Festival de Barriletes Gigantes in Sumpango, Sacatepéquez features massive circular kites ranging from 2 to 22 metres in diameter (Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes). The Ministry says they may or may not be flown, depending on their surface; in the 2025 programme the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly at 2:00 PM. Per the Ministerio de Cultura, building starts in July and ends on October 31 each year, and the canvas is tied to its frame during the night of October 31 and the dawn of November 1. In Sumpango they are shown on the municipal football field beside the cemetery; in Santiago Sacatepéquez, inside the cemetery itself. For the Maya-Kaqchikel communities that make them, the Ministry says, the kites are a way to communicate with their ancestors, a spiritual link between the living and the dead.
How is Guatemala's Day of the Dead different from Mexico's?
Guatemala’s signature tradition is the giant kites (barriletes gigantes) of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, whose making technique UNESCO inscribed in 2024 on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO), and its traditional dish is fiambre, a cold dish of up to 50 ingredients (AGN). The two celebrations also overlap: AGN, Guatemala’s government news agency, describes Guatemalan cemeteries on November 1 filling with cempasúchil flowers, candles and offerings, and says pan de muerto, although Mexican in origin, is also made in some regions of Guatemala.
What is fiambre in Guatemala?
AGN, Guatemala’s government news agency, calls fiambre the most iconic dish of Día de Todos los Santos: a complex salad that can include up to 50 ingredients, among them vegetables, embutidos (sausages), cheeses, cold cuts and, in some versions, seafood. There are two main types: fiambre rojo, which contains beetroot and takes its reddish colour from it, and fiambre blanco, without beetroot. AGN says it is prepared days in advance and that each household tends to have its own recipe handed down through the generations.
Is November 1 a public holiday in Guatemala?
Yes. November 1 is one of the paid holidays (días de asueto con goce de salario) that Article 127 of Guatemala’s Código de Trabajo (Decree 1441) lists for private-sector workers. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday.
Where is the best place to see the giant kite festival?
In Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, a 2018 Prensa Libre report said the festival draws more than 100,000 visitors every year. In the 2025 programme activities began at 8:00 AM, the giant-kite exhibition began at 8:30 AM, and the 4-metre kites were scheduled to fly at 2:00 PM. The 2026 programme with times was not on the organisers’ site, festivaldesumpango.com, when its home page was re-read on October 10, 2026 (it still showed the November 1, 2024 edition); a PROVIAL release of August 28, 2026 says the festival activity is scheduled from October 30 to November 2, and about 50 kite groups are preparing for November 1 at Sumpango’s municipal stadium (La Hora, September 21, 2026). Santiago Sacatepéquez holds its festival inside the town cemetery. Note that the organisers’ 2025 agenda put Santiago’s kite FLIGHT on November 2, not November 1, while the Ministerio de Cultura’s 2025 programme listed a November 1 raising — for 2026, the Santiago kite association has scheduled its exhibition for November 1 and 2 (Emisoras Unidas, June 7, 2026), with no flight times in that report, so do not travel to Santiago on November 1 counting on seeing kites fly. Full logistics: /events/giant-kite-festival-sumpango/
How much do shuttle/transport costs to Sumpango from Antigua?
Shuttle operators list $25-$30 per person round trip, departing at 7:00 or 8:00 AM and returning at 2:00 PM, and a guided tour covering both towns at $50 (all re-checked September 24, 2026; none of the listings states a year, so confirm when booking). From Guatemala City, Atitrans lists $35 round trip. The Sacatepéquez extraurbano gremial’s 2026 fare list, as reported by Emisoras Unidas on September 24, 2026, has no route to Sumpango, so this page gives no chicken-bus fare. None of the operator and news sources listed on this page gives an Uber, taxi or private-car fare for this route, so we do not print one. OSRM routing puts Antigua to Sumpango at about 17 km and 20 minutes without traffic, but ShuttleNation lists about 1 hr 30 min each way for its November 1 shuttle: a 2018 Prensa Libre report warned queues can reach 22 km, and November 1, 2026 is a Sunday and a national asueto. Full logistics: /events/giant-kite-festival-sumpango/
What time do families visit cemeteries on November 1?
Neither the AGN nor the Emisoras Unidas reports cited on this page give set visiting hours. AGN describes families gathering to clean and decorate their relatives’ graves, and the cemeteries filling with cempasúchil flowers, candles and offerings throughout the day, with people praying, singing and talking about those they have lost. At Guatemala City’s Cementerio General in zona 3, Emisoras Unidas reported on November 1, 2023 whole families, the street closed for the traditional stalls and live music at the entrance; the same report says the visit there was accompanied by the marimba Kaibil Balam and the PNC’s marching orchestra.
