The Sololá feria centers on August 15, the feast of the Assumption. The Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Ministry of Culture and Sports) records that the festival «se celebra anualmente en honor a Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, patrona del municipio, teniendo como fecha central el 15 de agosto» [is celebrated annually in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption, the municipality’s patron saint, with August 15 as its central date] (Sistema de Información Cultural).
Around that day, the programme brings together school parades on different mornings, music and religious activities. This page brings together the municipal-branded 2026 programme, reproduced by Televisión Departamental de Sololá, and Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias coverage from 2024 to show how fair week was organized. The 2026 edition is now past; the published schedule does not establish that every listed activity took place.
Quick summary: The feria titular (patronal fair) of Sololá, the departmental capital, honors Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, with August 15 as its recurring central date. The surrounding dates vary: August 7–16 in 2024 (AGN); the 2026 programme listed a concert on August 5 and a school parade on August 7. Historical programmes included school parades by level, a band competition, a horse parade, and an international rodeo; AGN listed a fireworks castle and light show on August 15 in 2024.
Quick facts
| Central date | August 15 (Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes) |
| In honor of | Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, the municipality’s patron saint |
| 2024 window | August 7–16 (Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias) |
| Early 2026 programme | Concert on August 5; urban primary-school parade on August 7 (municipal-branded programme reproduced by local television) |
| 2027 edition | See the dates section below |
| Who organizes it | The municipality, with community authorities, cofradías (religious brotherhoods), schools and local organizations (Ministerio de Cultura) |
| Population | Predominantly Maya Kaqchikel (Ministerio de Cultura) |
| Asueto (paid rest day) | August 15 is not among the national dates listed in Article 127 of the Código de Trabajo (Labor Code). That article includes the day of the local festivity as a paid rest day for private-sector workers (legal text; holidays guide). |
How the week comes together: the 2026 municipal programme
Televisión Departamental de Sololá reproduced municipal-branded images of the general programme for 2026. This was a television repost, rather than the municipality’s own authenticated account. The early dates, August 5–11, showed morning parades and competitions, with a rosary and Eucharist listed for the afternoon of August 7.
The following were scheduled activities for the past 2026 edition:
| Date in 2026 | Morning | Afternoon or evening |
|---|---|---|
| August 5 | — | 17:00 concert |
| August 7 | 08:00 urban primary-school parade | 15:00 musical performance · 16:00 rosary · 17:00 Eucharist |
| August 8 | 08:30 band competition | — |
| August 9 | 09:00 horse parade | — |
| August 10 | 08:00 rural primary-school parade | — |
| August 11 | 08:30 rural and urban pre-primary-school parade | — |
| August 12 | 08:00 rural secondary-school parade | — |
| August 13 | 08:00 urban secondary-school parade | 20:00 Viento en Contra |
The later programme image also shows August 14, 15 and 16. It therefore extends beyond the early part of the week. These dates belong to the historical programme; they do not establish a closing ceremony or confirm that all activities occurred.
The end of the week: the 2024 programme
For the latter part of the week, AGN’s 2024 coverage reported: «Las actividades se iniciaron el pasado 7 de agosto y finalizan el 16 de agosto.» [The activities began on August 7 and end on August 16.] (AGN). It listed:
| Date in 2024 | Activity |
|---|---|
| August 12 | Rural secondary-school parade and a giant-robot show |
| August 13 | Urban secondary-school parade |
| August 14 | International rodeo at the field in Santa María El Tablón, Sololá |
| August 15 | Football match, fair concert, international rodeo, fireworks castle and light show |
| August 16 | Closing of the fair |
Together, the historical programmes show the pattern: different school levels had their own parade days—urban primary, rural primary, pre-primary, rural secondary and urban secondary—and August 15 featured the castle and lights in the 2024 listing. AGN also reported that the departmental governor participated in the parade and protocol ceremony that officially marked the start of the fair.
What makes it distinctive
The Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes describes the Sololá feria as a point of coordination between the municipality, community authorities, cofradías, schools and local organizations, reflecting a population that is «mayoritariamente maya kaqchikel» [predominantly Maya Kaqchikel]. Its account lists religious ceremonies, traditional processions, civic and cultural events, artistic performances, sports, food fairs, and displays of craft and agricultural products (Sistema de Información Cultural).
The dates, year by year
| Start | Central date | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (AGN) | August 7 | August 15 | August 16 |
| 2026 (municipal-branded programme) | Concert August 5; urban primary-school parade August 7 | August 15, the recurring patronal date | Later programme dates extend through August 16 |
2027: not announced as of 23 October 2026 in the sources reviewed for this page.
For planning, distinguish the recurring August 15 date from an edition’s full programme: the historical schedules above document their own years.
Getting there
For how interdepartmental transport works, see the chicken bus guide. For city context, see the Sololá profile. If you are visiting Lake Atitlán in August, use the historical parade programme above to understand the kinds of activities the feria brings together, rather than treating it as your travel day’s timetable.
Frequently asked questions
When is it? The recurring central date is August 15. The surrounding fair dates vary; AGN reported August 7–16 in 2024.
Who does it honor? Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of the Assumption).
What happens each day? The historical programmes listed school parades on different mornings, a band competition, a horse parade and concerts. The 2026 programme listed a rosary and Eucharist on August 7; AGN’s 2024 listing included rodeo and a fireworks castle on August 15.
What about 2027? See the dates section above; a recurring patronal date is different from an announced programme.
Is this the Panajachel feria? This page covers Sololá, the departmental capital. See the separate Panajachel feria guide.
Related
- Sololá patronal fairs — the department’s patronal-fair calendar
- August fairs in Guatemala — patronal celebrations during the month
- Panajachel feria — the separate feria guide
- Sololá — the city profile
- Chicken bus guide — interdepartmental transport
- Fairs today, in Spanish — the current-fairs page
