Updated 23 October 2026: The announced 2026 dates have passed. This page records the plans for that edition and explains the fair’s history, the local-festival holiday rule and the distinction from Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez. 2027 dates: not announced as of 23 October 2026 in the sources checked.

Before planning a visit to the Feria de Jocotenango, establish which fair you mean: the capital’s celebration and the one in Sacatepéquez both honour the Virgen de la Asunción on August 15.

The capital’s 2026 edition was scheduled for Saturday 8 through Sunday 16 August, 10:00 to 22:00, at Hipódromo del Norte, Zona 2, on Avenida Simeón Cañas. The Municipalidad de Guatemala announced the fair’s return, reported by TV Azteca Guate in its July 30 article. Admission was advertised as free, with 306 merchants planned. The municipal announcements described weekend free Trolley Bus and parking arrangements. These announcements document the plans, rather than confirming that every arrangement took place.

Quick summary: The announced 2026 Feria de Jocotenango dates were August 8–16, 10:00–22:00 daily, at Hipódromo del Norte on Avenida Simeón Cañas, Zona 2. Admission was advertised as free. Attractions included lotería games, bumper cars, a Ferris wheel, traditional food and souvenirs. August 15 honours the Virgen de la Asunción, the capital’s patron saint. The Código de Trabajo provides a paid local-festival day for private-sector workers; its text does not designate August 15 exclusively for the capital. Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez, holds a separate celebration of the same patron saint.

Quick facts — the past 2026 edition’s announced arrangements

2026 datesSaturday 8 → Sunday 16 August — dates now past
Hours10:00 to 22:00 daily
WhereHipódromo del Norte, Avenida Simeón Cañas, Zona 2, Guatemala City
Patronal dayAugust 15 — Virgen de la Asunción, the capital’s patron saint
Holiday ruleArticle 127 of the Código de Trabajo provides paid asueto (a day off) for private-sector workers on the locality’s festival day
AttractionsLotería games, bumper cars, Ferris wheel, traditional food and souvenirs; 306 merchants announced by the municipality
AdmissionAdvertised as free; games and food at varying prices
Getting thereTwo free Trolley Bus routes, 10:00–20:00, on the dates detailed below; free weekend parking at Plaza Italia, IGSS and Universidad Mariano Gálvez; Transmetro transfer from Línea 1 to Línea 2 at San Sebastián, then onward to the provisional fair station
Next edition2027 dates not announced as of 23 October 2026 in the sources checked

The municipal 2026 announcement describes that edition’s programme. Those transport details applied to the 2026 edition only.

First: which of the two Jocotenango fairs do you mean?

Two distinct celebrations honour the Virgen de la Asunción on August 15: one in the capital and another in Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez, near Antigua.

Feria de Jocotenango, capitalFeria titular of Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez
WhereHipódromo del Norte, Zona 2, Guatemala CityJocotenango, Sacatepéquez, near Antigua
Patron saintVirgen de la AsunciónVirgen de la Asunción
Patronal dayAugust 15August 15
Announced 2026 datesAugust 8–16, 10:00–22:00Separate event; its edition dates are not covered here
Covered by this pageYesNo; the capital fair’s name is related to this town

The capital’s fair celebrates Guatemala City’s patron saint. The Sacatepéquez event belongs to the municipality near Antigua: see Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez.

Guatemala.com’s historical account explains that the capital’s fair retained the name de Jocotenango because of its relationship with the original town in Sacatepéquez, where the Virgen was also celebrated.

What was announced for the 2026 edition

The Municipalidad de Guatemala announced the dates and attractions reported by TV Azteca Guate:

  • Lotería games
  • Bumper cars
  • Ferris wheel
  • Traditional food stalls
  • Souvenir stalls

Admission was advertised as free, and the municipality announced 306 merchants, according to Prensa Libre. Games and food had varying prices. The municipality invited visitors to follow its official social channels for activity updates.

The Mapa en Relieve (relief map) had its own announced illumination schedule: August 8 and 9, 8:00–22:00; August 10–12, 8:00–20:00; and August 13–16, 8:00–22:00. These were the published plans for the past edition.

Getting there in 2026: free trolley, Transmetro and parking

The announced weekend transport arrangements for the past edition were:

  • Free Trolley Bus, 10:00–20:00, two routes: from the Universidad Mariano Gálvez parking area, via Finca El Zapote, scheduled for August 9, 15 and 16; and from the Municipalidad/IGSS parking area to Parque San Sebastián, scheduled for August 8, 9, 15 and 16. The published route names were Finca El Zapote–Universidad Mariano Gálvez–Cervecería and Municipalidad de Guatemala–Parque San Sebastián.
  • Free weekend parking, 10:00–20:00: Plaza Italia at the Municipalidad de Guatemala and IGSS, 22 calle between 6a. and 7a. avenida, zona 1, on August 8, 9, 15 and 16; and Universidad Mariano Gálvez, zona 2, lots 1, 9, 10 and 12, on August 9, 15 and 16. The municipal parking notice made parking subject to available spaces. Municipal authorities advised against parking in unauthorised places.
  • Transmetro: according to Guatemala.com, transfer from Línea 1 to Línea 2 at San Sebastián, then continue from there to the provisional station for the fair. San Sebastián was the transfer point; it was not identified as the provisional fair station.

The fair’s announced daily opening hours were 10:00–22:00. These 2026 transport notices do not establish future service arrangements.

August 15: the patronal celebration and the local holiday rule

August 15 honours the Virgen de la Asunción, patron saint of Guatemala City, and is the fair’s traditional patronal day.

Article 127 of the Código de Trabajo (Labour Code) provides asueto con goce de salario (a paid day off) for private-sector workers on the locality’s festival day. The article itself does not name August 15 or designate it exclusively for Guatemala City.

The same article preserves the employer’s obligation to pay weekly rest when paid asueto and weekly rest coincide. See the Guatemala holidays calendar for broader holiday context.

The announced nine-day window

The 2026 schedule covered August 8–16, with the same advertised daily opening hours, 10:00–22:00:

  • Saturday 8 and Sunday 9: the opening weekend in the announced schedule. Plaza Italia and IGSS parking and the Municipalidad/IGSS trolley were listed for both dates; Universidad Mariano Gálvez parking and its trolley route were listed from August 9.
  • Monday 10 through Friday 14: dates within the announced fair window. The Mapa en Relieve illumination was scheduled for 8:00–20:00 on August 10–12, and 8:00–22:00 on August 13–14.
  • Saturday 15: the traditional patronal date, with trolley routes and parking scheduled as detailed above.
  • Sunday 16: the announced final date.

These dates and hours describe the advertised programme, rather than a post-event account of actual operation.

From Chinautla to Zona 2: differing accounts of the origins

Guatemala.com’s historical account dates the beginning to 1550, with a celebration honouring the Virgen de la Asunción in a community in Chinautla. The municipal historical account instead places the beginning around 1620. These accounts disagree; neither date should be treated here as a settled origin year.

According to Guatemala.com, after the Santa Marta earthquake of 1773 destroyed much of Santiago de los Caballeros, the capital moved to Valle de la Ermita, and residents brought their religious practices with them. The fair’s name remained connected to the original town in Sacatepéquez.

The same historical account dates the construction of Hipódromo del Norte to 1873, during Justo Rufino Barrios’s government. It states that President Lázaro Chacón, through an agreement dated 10 July 1928, officially established the fair for August 13, 14 and 15. That is an attributed historical account, rather than a quotation from the original agreement.

Those historical dates differ from the municipality’s announced 2026 window, August 8–16. The historical accounts do not determine the next edition’s programme.

The Virgen’s procession along Avenida Simeón Cañas

Alongside rides and stalls, the fair has a religious tradition. Guatemala.com’s historical account describes the procession of the Virgen’s image along Avenida Simeón Cañas, the avenue also named in the announced Zona 2 fair location.

For the 2026 edition, the municipality directed visitors to its official social channels for activity updates.

Frequently asked questions

When was it? The announced dates were Saturday 8 through Sunday 16 August 2026, 10:00–22:00 daily. The traditional patronal day is August 15. These dates are now past.

When is the next one? 2027 dates were not announced as of 23 October 2026 in the sources checked. The recurring patronal date does not establish an edition’s programme.

Where? Hipódromo del Norte, Zona 2, on Avenida Simeón Cañas, Guatemala City, was the announced 2026 location.

Is August 15 a holiday? Article 127 of the Código de Trabajo provides paid asueto for private-sector workers on the locality’s festival day. The article does not itself designate August 15 exclusively for the capital, and it preserves weekly-rest payment when the days coincide.

Is it the fair in Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez? No. They are separate celebrations honouring the same Virgen on August 15. This page covers the capital’s Zona 2 fair.

How much was admission in 2026? It was advertised as free. Games and food had varying prices, and 306 merchants were announced by the municipality.

Sources