April 2027 is the month after Holy Week: Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, so April brings the tail of the dry season without the Semana Santa crowds of late March. Two dates anchor it: the Hermano Pedro feast in Antigua on Saturday 24 April and, per Insomniac, Empire Music Festival on 30 April and 1 May. The trade-offs are heat in the lowlands, wildfire smoke and, at Lake Atitlán, the cyanobacteria alert, which in 2026 was activated in April.

For the full-year comparison, start with the best time to visit Guatemala by month; for Holy Week itself, see Guatemala in March and the Semana Santa guide.

TL;DR: Holy Week is 21-28 March 2027, so April is quieter on the religious calendar. Dry in Petén and on the Pacific coast; the highlands start to see rain. Tikal at its hottest (34°C average highs, as in May). No Article 127 holiday falls in April 2027. Watch CONRED for fires and AMSCLAE for the lake.

April weather by altitude

These are the April values from our parent guide’s 1996-2025 Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis series: average daily high/low in °C, with °F in brackets, published rounding retained. They are historical model averages, not a forecast or official station normals.

Destination and elevationApril high/lowShare of the year’s rain
Antigua (1,540 m)27/16 (81/61)5%
Lake Atitlán, Panajachel (1,580 m)24/17 (75/62)7%
Xela (2,360 m)20/12 (67/53)8%
Tikal (300 m)34/22 (93/71)3%
Livingston (sea level)30/24 (85/75)3%
Monterrico (sea level)32/25 (90/76)3%

The rain column is a share of the annual total, not a chance of rain. Compared with March, the highland shares rise (Antigua goes from 2% to 5%, Xela from 4% to 8%), while Tikal stays among its driest months. For Tikal, the heat is the issue: start early and see when to visit Tikal for the time-of-day planning.

April 2027 dates

Date (2027)EventWhat the date establishes
Sunday 28 MarchEaster Sunday (end of Holy Week)Church calendar; April follows it
Saturday 24 AprilSanto Hermano Pedro feast, AntiguaRecurring feast day; check the event page for the programme
Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 MayEmpire Music Festival, Guatemala CityDates listed by Insomniac; the organiser’s site shows no 2027 date yet

Hermano Pedro. The saint died on 25 April 1667; his feast is kept on 24 April because the 25th is Saint Mark’s day, Prensa Libre explains. The event page covers the visit in Antigua.

Empire. 1 May 2027 is also Labour Day, a national holiday under Article 127, and falls on a Saturday. The 2026 edition, its venue and ticket tiers are on the Empire page.

Holidays. Article 127’s Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday fall on 25-27 March in 2027, and none of its other dates is in April. Local feast days still apply; see Guatemala holidays 2027.

Fire season and smoke

April sits inside the wildfire season. On 21 April 2026 CONRED reported more than 1,040 fires controlled and extinguished nationally since the season began, with 13,237 hectares affected and Jutiapa the worst-hit department at 1,821 hectares; crews were still fighting fires that day in Guatemala (2), Jutiapa (1), Petén (8) and Quiché (3) departments. For satellite detections by department, see the wildfire hotspots page.

Lake Atitlán: the 2026 algae alert started in April

AMSCLAE, the lake authority, runs a four-colour cyanobacteria alert. In 2026, AMSCLAE’s head told a congressional hearing, the alert was activated in April when monthly monitoring showed temperatures rising, and cyanobacteria appeared about two weeks later. By late May 2026 the whole lake was at orange, the level at which AMSCLAE advises avoiding recreational activities in the water; rain and cooler weather brought it down to yellow by early July. That is one year’s record, not a forecast for 2027. Before you swim, check the current level: can you swim in Lake Atitlán?

Crowds

INGUAT counted 312,062 non-resident visitors in April 2025, the third-busiest month that year. Holy Week moves with Easter, so a year in which it falls in March, as in 2027, may not match that April count. Compare real accommodation quotes for your dates.

Runners: the Guatemala City night 10K was scheduled for Saturday 25 April in 2026; see the 2027 running race calendar for what has been announced.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Semana Santa in April in 2027?

No. Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, so Holy Week runs 21-28 March and April 2027 is the month after it. If you want the processions, plan for late March instead.

Is April a good month to visit Guatemala?

For dry-season travel, mostly yes: April is still dry in Petén and on the Pacific coast, and the highlands get about 5-8% of their annual rain that month in our 1996-2025 series. Average highs at Tikal reach 34°C (93°F), level with May as the hottest of the year, and April falls in the wildfire season.

When is the Hermano Pedro feast in 2027?

Saturday 24 April 2027. The saint died on 25 April 1667, but his feast is kept on the 24th because the 25th belongs to Saint Mark. Our event page tracks the 2027 programme in Antigua.

When is Empire Music Festival 2027?

Insomniac lists Empire Music Festival 2027 for 30 April and 1 May 2027 in Guatemala City. The organiser’s own site showed no 2027 date as of 4 November 2026.

Can I swim in Lake Atitlán in April?

Check AMSCLAE’s cyanobacteria alert before you get in. In 2026 the authority activated the alert in April as temperatures rose, the whole lake was at orange by late May, and the level was lowered to yellow by early July.