Retalhuleu’s feria has one fixed day and an agenda announced edition by edition. The fixed day is December 8, feast of the Inmaculada Virgen de Concepción (Immaculate Conception), patron of the feria titular; in 2026 it falls on a Tuesday. The most recent agenda with an official stamp is the 2025 one: the Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias (AGN), Guatemala’s state news agency, published it in full on November 24, 2025, signed by the Gobernación departamental de Retalhuleu, under the heading “Agenda oficial de actividades • Feria Titular de Concepción 2025 (del 5 al 13 de diciembre)” (AGN).
If you are in the area in early December for the IRTRA parks, the feria runs in the city of Retalhuleu itself, and its evening program is on the fairground.
Quick summary: Retalhuleu’s Feria Titular de Concepción honors the Immaculate Conception; the patron’s day is December 8 (Tuesday in 2026). The official 2025 agenda ran December 5-13: opening and Rodeo Internacional on the 5th, horse parade on the 6th, 10K race on the 7th, and on the 8th dawn serenade at 5:00, solemn mass at 10:00 and the procession with the burning of the torito at 20:00 from the San Antonio de Padua parish church. As of September 30, 2026, the 2026 program had not been published.
Quick facts
| Honoring | Inmaculada Virgen de Concepción (AGN) |
| Patron’s day | December 8 — Tuesday in 2026 |
| 2025 window | December 5-13, 2025 — official agenda, Gobernación departamental (AGN); on December 11 AGN wrote that the celebrations would officially end on the 15th |
| 2026 window | Not published as of September 30, 2026 |
| Where | The campo de la feria (fairground: events, concerts) and the San Antonio de Padua parish church (religious program), in the city of Retalhuleu |
| Feria queen 2025-2026 | Ana Reneé Benavides (AGN) |
| Holiday? | December 8 is not a national holiday; Article 127 of the Labor Code adds the day of the local festivity (Guatemala holidays) |
The official 2025 agenda, day by day
This is the agenda AGN published. It is the 2025 program: it shows what the feria brings and in what order, not the 2026 times.
| 2025 date | Time | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Dec 5 | 18:00 | Feria opening | Fairground entrance |
| 18:30 | Light show | Fairground entrance | |
| 19:00 | Marimba Orquesta La Fórmula | Fairground / Ronda (arena) | |
| 21:00 | Rodeo Internacional | Fairground / Ronda | |
| Sat Dec 6 | 09:30 | Horse parade (desfile hípico) | Main streets and avenues |
| 19:00 | Grupo La República (El Salvador), Tributo a Los Ángeles Azules and DJ Reyes | Fairground | |
| Sun Dec 7 | 06:00 | 10K race | Parque Central |
| 12:00-14:00 | Christmas convite (costumed dance) Ángel Pérez Quiroa | Atrium, San Antonio de Padua parish | |
| 17:00 | Prayer (rezo) | San Antonio de Padua parish | |
| 18:00 | Vespers to the Virgen de Concepción | — | |
| 19:00 | Mass | — | |
| 19:00 | Héctor Morales, Banda La Primera, Orquesta Candela | Fairground | |
| Mon Dec 8 | 05:00 | Mañanitas (dawn serenade) to the Virgen de Concepción | — |
| 06:00 | Mass | — | |
| 07:00 | Breakfast | — | |
| 10:00 | Solemn mass — Mons. Pablo Vizcaíno | — | |
| 14:00 | Convite — Marimba Orquesta Maderas de la Costa | — | |
| 17:00 and 19:00 | Mass | — | |
| 19:00 | Fer Vlazzy | Fairground | |
| 20:00 | Fireworks, burning of the torito and procession | Parish atrium | |
| 20:00 | Grupo Arrecife and Orquesta Coco Band | Fairground | |
| Tue Dec 9 | 19:00 | Elmer Pastelito and Miguel Mijangos | Fairground |
| Wed Dec 10 | 19:00 | Festival Gallo — DJ and national groups | — |
| Thu Dec 11 | 19:00 | Marimba Orquesta Alma Tuneca and Checha y su India Maya | — |
| Fri Dec 12 | 05:00 | Mañanitas to the Virgen de Guadalupe | — |
| 06:00 and 08:00 | Mass | — | |
| 07:00 | Breakfast | — | |
| Sat Dec 13 | 19:00 | Feria closing concert | Fairground / Ronda |
A dash (—) means the agenda did not give the place. The agenda ends on the 13th, but AGN’s December 11, 2025 report says the celebrations for the Virgin “concluirán oficialmente el 15 de diciembre” (would officially end on December 15).
How it starts: the queen election
The feria begins before December. On November 24, 2025, AGN reported that Retalhuleu officially opened the preparations for its feria titular with the election and coronation of its queens in the parque central, zona 1: eight candidates, casual and gala wear, and a message from each candidate to the jury. Ana Reneé Benavides, 24, was crowned Reina de la Feria 2025-2026; Eloisa Marroquín was crowned Madrina del Deporte (sports godmother), and Jennifer Recinos was first runner-up.
December 8: the patron’s day
The religious program centers on the San Antonio de Padua parish church. In 2025, December 7 had prayers, vespers and mass; December 8 opened with the dawn serenade at 5:00, continued with masses, the 10:00 solemn mass and a convite at 14:00, and closed at 20:00 with fireworks, the burning of the torito (literally “little bull”) and the procession.
AGN described the celebration in its December 11, 2025 report: after the last mass came the traditional burning of the torito and fireworks, “un acto que marcó el inicio de la preparación para el cortejo procesional” — the act that opened the preparation for the procession — and the image of the Virgen de Concepción was carried through the city’s main streets and avenues (AGN).
The night before, December 7, is the nationwide Quema del Diablo (Burning of the Devil), and on December 12, still inside the 2025 feria window, the agenda included the dawn serenade to the Virgen de Guadalupe.
Not published as of September 30, 2026
- The 2026 program: start and end dates, artists and times. In 2025 the agenda appeared on November 24.
- The 2026 queen election.
- Ticket prices for paid events: the 2025 agenda carried none.
- An official declaration of a local holiday for December 8 in Retalhuleu.
Getting there
For the trip from Guatemala City, our Guatemala City to Retalhuleu guide covers what the carriers we captured publish, with the date we checked. For the city itself, see the Retalhuleu municipality profile.
FAQ
When is the Retalhuleu feria in 2026? The patron’s day is December 8 (Tuesday in 2026). The 2025 feria ran December 5-13; the 2026 program was not published as of September 30, 2026.
Who is honored? The Inmaculada Virgen de Concepción (Immaculate Conception).
When is the procession? In 2025, December 8 at 20:00, with the burning of the torito and fireworks at the parish atrium.
When is the horse parade? In 2025, December 6 at 9:30.
Is December 8 a holiday? Not nationally. The Labor Code gives a day off on the local festivity, but we did not find the official act that sets it for Retalhuleu.
Related
- Ferias in Retalhuleu — every patron-saint fair in the department
- Ferias in December — the full December calendar
- Christmas in Guatemala — posadas to Nochebuena
- Quema del Diablo — the night of December 7
- Guatemala holidays — which days are national holidays
