Updated October 1, 2026. Through October, the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Guatemala City’s Santo Domingo church in zona 1, keeps the Glorioso Mes del Rosario (the month of the Rosary), under the 2026 motto Reina de todos los Santos (Queen of All Saints). The main procession is the First Sunday of October procession, Sunday, October 4 at 12:00. A fair runs beside the church; Diario de Centro América reports it open from October 1. 2 days to the First Sunday procession as of today.
Quick summary: First Sunday procession: Sunday, October 4, 2026, leaves at 12:00, back in the church at 21:00 on the reference times La Hora published. Solemnity: Wednesday, October 7 (alborada 4:30, masses 12:00 and 19:00, marimba and fireworks 20:30). Children’s procession: Sunday 11, 11:45. Lyric tribute: Saturday 17, 20:30. Rosario de la Aurora: Sunday 25, 4:00. Torchlight rosary and marimba: Saturday 31. Closing: Sunday, November 1, 10:00. Fair: 10a calle between 12 and 13 avenidas, zona 1; Sunday to Thursday 7:00-22:00, Friday and Saturday 7:00-23:00. Official road closures could not be read as of October 1, 2026.
The main dates
Source: the Glorioso Mes del Rosario 2026 programme published by the Basílica (basilicadelrosario.gt), read on October 1, 2026.
| Date | What | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 1 | Alborada for the start of the month; solemn mass; blessing and procession with the vendors around the Basílica | 4:30; 12:00; 18:00 |
| Sunday, October 4 | First Sunday of October procession, with the Imagen Réplica of Nuestra Señora del Rosario (before it, a solemn mass presided by Archbishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez at 10:00) | 12:00 |
| Tuesday, October 6 | Eve of the Solemnity: rosary, vespers, mass and a marimba concert | 17:30; 18:15; 19:00; 20:00 |
| Wednesday, October 7 | Solemnity of Nuestra Señora del Rosario: alborada with fireworks; solemn masses; marimba concert with fireworks | 4:30; 12:00 and 19:00; 20:30 |
| Saturday, October 10 | Rosario Viviente (living rosary) around the Basílica’s atrium; extended visit to the Virgin’s Camarín until 21:30 | 20:30 |
| Sunday, October 11 | Mass presided by the apostolic nuncio, Francisco Montecillo Padilla; children’s procession with the oldest Imagen Réplica | 10:00; 11:45 |
| Saturday, October 17 | Youth pilgrimage of Decanato 1; lyric tribute by the Orquesta de Cámara Querido Arte; extended Camarín visit until 21:30 | 15:00; 20:30 |
| Sunday, October 18 | Procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Barrio Gerona (before it, a mass presided by Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini at 10:00) | 14:00 |
| Sunday, October 25 | Rosario de la Aurora: dawn mass and procession | 3:00; 4:00 |
| Saturday, October 31 | Rosario de Antorchas (torchlight rosary) through the Basílica’s naves; marimba concert with fireworks | 17:45; 20:30 |
| Sunday, November 1 | Closing of the month and 467th anniversary of the Cofradía del Santo Rosario: thanksgiving mass and a eucharistic procession through the Basílica’s naves | 10:00; 11:00 |
Diario de Centro América (October 1, 2026) writes that the celebrations close on Saturday the 31st; the Basílica’s programme also carries the Sunday, November 1 closing.
The October 4 procession: route and passing times
Route (Basílica programme): out of the church · 12 avenida · 12 calle · 7 avenida · 6 calle · 1 avenida · 1 calle · 2 avenida · 3 calle · 6 avenida · 2 calle · 9 avenida · 1 calle · 13 avenida · Callejón del Judío · 12 avenida · back into the church.
Reference passing times (published by La Hora on September 30, 2026, from a Cofradía del Santo Rosario graphic):
| Point | Time |
|---|---|
| Leaves the church | 12:00 |
| Arco de Correos | 13:25 |
| Catedral Metropolitana | 14:15 |
| Parque El Sauce | 16:05 |
| In front of the San Sebastián church, on sexta avenida | 17:05 |
| In front of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria church | 18:15 |
| Parque Colón | 20:05 |
| Back into the church | 21:00 |
José Carlos Arévalo of the Cofradía del Santo Rosario told Prensa Libre that for this procession the Virgin gets a new float (mueble) with room for 90 carriers, built in the workshops of Luis Chiroy.
The month’s other processions
| Procession | Date and time | Route (Basílica programme) |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s procession, with the oldest Imagen Réplica | Sunday, October 11, 11:45 | Out of the church · 12 avenida · 10 calle · 11 avenida · 5 calle · 13 avenida · 7 calle · 12 avenida · 8 calle · 13 avenida · 9 calle · 12 avenida · back into the church |
| Procession with the Blessed Sacrament | Sunday, October 18, 14:00 | Through the streets of Barrio Gerona (the programme does not list the streets) |
| Rosario de la Aurora | Sunday, October 25, 4:00 | Out of the church · 12 avenida · 12 calle «A» · 15 avenida «A» · 14 calle · 16 avenida · 15 calle «A» · 16 avenida «B» · 12 calle «A» · 17 avenida · 12 calle · 18 avenida · 11 calle · 17 avenida · 10 calle · 15 avenida · 12 calle · 12 avenida · back into the church |
The fair beside the church
- Where: 10a calle between 12 and 13 avenidas, beside the Santo Domingo church, zona 1 (Diario de Centro América, October 1, 2026).
- Hours: Sunday to Thursday 7:00 to 22:00; Fridays and Saturdays 7:00 to 23:00.
- Food Diario de Centro América lists: molletes, buñuelos, garnachas, churros, elotes, esquites, atoles and traditional sweets.
- Permit: La Hora reports that the Municipalidad de Guatemala will let vendors sell traditional fair food.
None of the sources we read gives a separate closing date for the fair.
Daily masses and rosaries in October
According to the Basílica’s programme, Monday to Saturday there is exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the rosary at 5:15; masses at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 19:00; the rosary at 9:15 and 15:00; and at 17:45 the rosary and the month’s devotion, broadcast on Radio Estrella 89.3 FM. On Sundays there are solemn masses at 6:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 19:00; those at 10:00, 12:00 and 19:00 are presided by a bishop.
Getting there, and what we could not find (checked October 1, 2026)
- Parish address: 12 avenida 10-09, zona 1, Guatemala City; parish phone +502 2502-2727 (the Basílica’s contact page).
- Getting around the city: our Guatemala transport guide.
- The neighbourhood: our Zona 1 neighbourhood guide and the Zona 1 data page.
- Safety: on the reference times, the October 4 procession returns to the church at 21:00, and the Rosario de la Aurora leaves at 4:00. Read our Guatemala safety page before you go.
Road closures: as of October 1, 2026 we could not read a Municipalidad de Guatemala or PMT (municipal traffic police) notice for the procession; muniguate.com blocked our automated request. La Hora presented the passing times as a guide to the closures, without listing closed streets.
Who the Virgen del Rosario of Santo Domingo is
The Basílica calls her Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Queen, Mother and Patroness of the Republic of Guatemala and Alcaldesa Perpetua (perpetual mayor) of the capital city. The Cofradía del Santo Rosario is based at the Basílica (Publinews), and the parish belongs to the Dominican friars, the Order of Preachers (the Basílica’s website); on November 1, 2026 the Cofradía marks its 467th anniversary. The Santo Domingo parish, quoted by La Hora, notes that the Virgen del Rosario is celebrated every October 7.
Sources
- Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Parroquia Santo Domingo de Guzmán, O.P.), Glorioso Mes del Rosario 2026 programme and procession routes, read October 1, 2026; and its contact page, read the same day.
- Diario de Centro América, En marcha fiestas para honrar a Nuestra Señora del Rosario, October 1, 2026.
- La Hora, Mes del Rosario: Los detalles de la feria y actividades religiosas para octubre 2026, September 30, 2026 (passing times of the October 4 procession).
- Prensa Libre, Mes del Rosario en Guatemala: Guía de actividades para celebrar en octubre 2026, September 24, 2026 (the new 90-carrier float).
- Publinews, Virgen del Rosario: fervor y tradición llenan la zona 1 capitalina, September 29, 2026 (the Cofradía’s seat).
- Municipalidad de Guatemala website (muniguate.com): automated request blocked on October 1, 2026.
Related
- Festival del Centro Histórico 2026: October 7-17, also in zona 1
- Ferias in October in Guatemala
- Zona 1 neighbourhood guide
- Guatemala events calendar
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does the Virgen del Rosario procession leave on October 4, 2026?
At 12:00 on Sunday, October 4, 2026, the First Sunday of October procession leaves the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Santo Domingo church, zona 1) with the Imagen Réplica (replica image) of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, according to the Basílica’s programme. The reference passing times La Hora published from a Cofradía del Santo Rosario graphic put its return to the church at 21:00.
What is the route of the October 4 procession?
According to the Basílica: out of the church, 12 avenida, 12 calle, 7 avenida, 6 calle, 1 avenida, 1 calle, 2 avenida, 3 calle, 6 avenida, 2 calle, 9 avenida, 1 calle, 13 avenida, Callejón del Judío, 12 avenida and back into the church.
Where is the Virgen del Rosario fair and what are its hours?
On 10a calle between 12 and 13 avenidas, beside the Santo Domingo church in zona 1. It opens Sunday to Thursday from 7:00 to 22:00 and on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 to 23:00, according to Diario de Centro América (October 1, 2026).
What happens on October 7?
The Solemnity of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. The Basílica’s programme lists a dawn alborada with fireworks at 4:30, solemn masses at 12:00 and 19:00, and a marimba concert with fireworks at 20:30.
When is the Rosario de la Aurora in 2026?
Sunday, October 25, 2026: a dawn mass at 3:00 and the Rosario de la Aurora procession at 4:00, according to the Basílica’s programme.
Will there be road closures for the procession?
We found no official closure notice when we checked on October 1, 2026: the Municipalidad de Guatemala website blocked our automated request. La Hora published the procession’s passing times as a guide to the closures, but did not list closed streets.
