Festival del Níspero 2026: November 21-22 in San Juan del Obispo (Antigua)

The XIV Festival del Níspero is announced for Saturday November 21 and Sunday November 22, 2026, at the Plazuela Central de San Juan del Obispo, La Antigua Guatemala. Prensa Libre reports free entry. This is a festival centred on the níspero, the fruit known in English as loquat, with food, artisan products and performances.

Quick summary: San Juan del Obispo is four kilometres from La Antigua Guatemala toward Santa María de Jesús. The reports agree on the announced festival dates, but the hours do not: Prensa Libre publishes de 9 a 21 horas, La Hora publishes de 8:00 a 20:00 horas, and laantiguaguatemala.org reports desde las 8:00 de la mañana hasta las 9:00 de la noche for the Saturday 21 main agenda. None of these schedules is treated here as definitive. The organizer’s own Facebook page could not be reached on 22 October 2026.

Dates, entry and the unresolved hours

The organizer’s Facebook page could not be reached on 22 October 2026, leaving the different opening and closing times unresolved. Reconfirm with the organizers before arranging arrival or a late departure. The programme below is published by Prensa Libre; confirm possible changes with the organizers.

Published programme by day

Prensa Libre publishes the following programme. It names a Segundo escenario; the other entries have no stage name in that report.

Saturday November 21, 2026

Sunday November 22, 2026

Source: Prensa Libre. Fátima Valle is listed at 17 horas without a stage name and on the Segundo escenario at 15.30 horas on Sunday. Prensa Libre lists presentación del Ballet Folclórico Zoel Valdez Hally at 16 horas on Saturday; Soy502 names Ballet Folclórico Nacional for inauguration day without specifying its performance time. The ballet names differ between these reports; confirm with the organizers. La Hora also describes areas devoted to níspero products, gastronomy and crafts.

Getting there, parking and free transport

Diario de Centro América places San Juan del Obispo four kilometres from La Antigua Guatemala on the route toward Santa María de Jesús. The festival venue is the village’s central square.

For the 2026 event, the local portal laantiguaguatemala.org reports the following logistics. Confirm the arrangements with the municipality before travelling.

Current regular bus timetables and fares, tuk-tuk prices, and shuttle operating and return times were not verified in the sources consulted on 22 October 2026.

La Hora independently reports free transport from central Antigua, but does not give operating hours. Do not use an older festival’s shuttle hours as this year’s timetable. Confirm the return arrangement before relying on the service.

For accommodation planning, see where to stay in Antigua Guatemala.

What is níspero, and what can you find at the festival?

A Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala thesis identifies the local níspero as Eriobotrya japonica Lind. and uses the English name loquat. Diario de Centro América describes the village’s harvest season as October through December.

Prensa Libre’s current-edition report lists wines, jams, sweets, breads, chocolates and other products made from the fruit. The festival is a way to explore those local products alongside the published cultural programme; the reports we read list products but no prices.

The village and Palacio del Obispo

According to Diario de Centro América, San Juan del Obispo takes its name from Francisco Marroquín. Its account describes colonial altarpieces in the church and, beside the temple, the Palacio del Obispo, a religious-art museum cared for by the Hermanas de Bethania, consoladoras de la Virgen Dolorosa.

A palace visit could be part of your village outing, subject to checking access separately. Museum opening hours and admission price are Not published in the cited reports. Confirm both before visiting. Festival entry should not be read as museum admission.

Past editions: dates are not interchangeable

The historical Prensa Libre report also describes a separate Festival del Níspero Familiar on 18 y 19 in November 2023, deliberately timed to coincide with Antigua’s Flower Festival. That historical overlap does not establish an overlap for the current edition. For the November 2023 festival weekend, Prensa Libre reports acudieron cientos de visitantes; this is not a count for the later family edition. Separately, La Hora reports se espera la asistencia de al menos 25 mil personas for the XIII edition in 2025: a forecast, not a verified attendance count.

Could you stay for both November festivals?

The Antigua Flower Festival is November 14-15, 2026. The Níspero festival is November 21-22, 2026, the weekend after it. Staying in the area for both weekends is a possible itinerary idea. Check accommodation and your own travel arrangements before committing; this page makes no availability or package claim.

Sources and consultation dates