The Flores feria has two recurring dates to know: January 6, when the Cristo Negro image is lowered, and January 15, the patron’s day. The Ministry of Culture and Sports records Flores’s fiesta patronal (patronal festival) in honor of the Cristo Negro, stating that it «tiene lugar cada 15 de enero» [takes place every January 15] (Sistema de Información Cultural). Prensa Libre’s account from 2016 describes the annual January 6 lowering of the image from the high altar of Flores Cathedral.

Alongside those traditions is the feria departamental de Petén (Petén departmental fair), which the Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias (AGN) describes as honoring the Santo Cristo Negro de Petén. Its published 2025 schedule was January 6–15 (AGN, December 11, 2024). The two AGN articles listed below do not identify that departmental fair’s venue.

Quick summary: Flores’s patronal festival honors the Cristo Negro on January 15. The January 6 tradition is the lowering of the image from the high altar of Flores Cathedral. The separate 2025 Petén departmental fair had a published January 6–15 schedule. The Flores festival’s official opening includes the election and coronation of Reina Sac Nicté. Traditional activities include a procession through Isla de Flores, alboradas (dawn celebrations), themed parades, the Baile de la Chatona y el Caballito, quema de vacas and fireworks.

Quick facts

Main dayJanuary 15, the recurring date recorded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports
Weekday, 2027January 6: Wednesday; January 15: Friday (calendar)
HonoringCristo Negro: de Esquipulas in the Ministry of Culture’s account; de Petén in AGN and Prensa Libre
Bajada del Cristo (lowering of the image)January 6, from the high altar of Flores Cathedral (Prensa Libre)
2025 Petén departmental fairPublished schedule: January 6–15, 2025, honoring the Cristo Negro de Petén (AGN)
Feria queenReina Sac Nicté, crowned as part of the official opening
Official programmeThe Ministry of Culture recommends the official communication channels of the Municipalidad de Flores

The dates: what stays fixed and what changes

What we knowSource
Bajada del CristoJanuary 6 each yearPrensa Libre, January 14, 2016
Patron’s dayJanuary 15 each yearMinistry of Culture and Sports
2025 Petén departmental fairPublished schedule: January 6–15, 2025AGN, December 11, 2024 and January 7, 2025

The departmental fair schedule above belongs to 2025; it is historical, rather than an upcoming programme.

The Petén departmental fair, according to AGN

AGN describes a departmental fair honoring the Santo Cristo Negro de Petén, with its own committee and coordination with state authorities.

  • In December 2024, the 2025 departmental fair committee, chaired by Alan Méndez, met with Petén departmental governor Mauricio Acevedo to coordinate security and logistics.
  • Topics included coordination with the Policía Nacional Civil (PNC, National Civil Police), emergency services and volunteers; traffic control, parking areas, access points and emergency protocols.
  • On January 7, 2025, AGN reported follow-up on security coverage for the fair’s January 6–15 schedule. The article listed the PNC emergency number: 110.

The 2026 edition is also in the past. In a report published on January 7, 2026, the Municipalidad de El Chal stated that its representative had begun participating in the Reina de la Feria Departamental de Petén 2026 contest (municipal report). That report documents contest participation rather than a complete Flores municipal festival schedule.

The Cristo Negro de Petén

Prensa Libre’s 2016 account describes the Flores image as a replica of the Cristo Negro de Esquipulas, with open eyes.

The sources use different names: the Ministry of Culture writes Cristo Negro de Esquipulas, while AGN and Prensa Libre use Cristo Negro de Petén. The celebration in Esquipulas, Chiquimula has its own guide.

What the feria includes

The Ministry of Culture lists these traditional activities:

Religious:

  • Solemn Masses and acts of veneration in the local church
  • A solemn procession carrying the Cristo Negro image through the main streets of Isla de Flores
  • Alboradas, or dawn celebrations

Cultural and recreational:

  • «Elección y coronación de la Reina Sac Nicté como parte de la inauguración oficial de la feria patronal» [Election and coronation of Reina Sac Nicté as part of the official opening of the patronal festival]
  • Themed parades and traditional dances, including the Baile de la Chatona y el Caballito, which the listing describes as «declarado Patrimonio Cultural Intangible» [declared Intangible Cultural Heritage]
  • Sports, local competitions, concerts and artistic performances
  • Quema de vacas (burning of the vacas), fireworks, a food fair and a handicraft exhibition

The 2027 programme

The 2027 edition’s dates and programme were not announced as of 23 October 2026 in the sources listed here, including the Ministry of Culture’s festival listing.

For the programme, follow the official communication channels of the Municipalidad de Flores, as the Ministry of Culture recommends; the recurring January traditions alone do not confirm an edition’s schedule.

Getting there

For planning your journey, see the guides to Guatemala City to Flores/Tikal and Antigua to Flores/Tikal, and the chicken bus guide. For local context, see the Flores municipality profile.

Frequently asked questions

When is it? The recurring main day is January 15. AGN published a January 6–15, 2025 schedule for the Petén departmental fair honoring the Cristo Negro de Petén.

What happens on January 6? The Cristo Negro image is lowered from the high altar of Flores Cathedral, according to Prensa Libre’s account of the annual tradition.

What is Reina Sac Nicté? The feria queen, crowned as part of the official opening.

Esquipulas or Petén? Both names appear in the sources; the Flores image is described as a replica of the Cristo Negro de Esquipulas.

Sources

Prensa Libre, Hemeroteca, January 14, 2016 — January 6 lowering tradition, replica and open eyes.