Calendar / Festival de Barriletes Gigantes de Sumpango
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Festival de Barriletes Gigantes de Sumpango
Nov 1, 2026ExpectedFestival de Barriletes Gigantes 2026
Run by Comite Permanente de Barriletes de Sumpango, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why go
On 1 November, the Day of the Dead, the town of Sumpango stages one of Guatemala's most striking traditions. Local teams spend months building barriletes gigantes, giant kites made from tissue paper and bamboo, some ten metres across, decorated with dense, brilliantly coloured Maya designs and messages honouring the dead. In the morning they are stood upright in a huge fan along the field beside the cemetery for everyone to walk among and photograph, and through the afternoon teams try to launch the flyable ones into the wind, a feat that takes dozens of people hauling on ropes. The Maya belief is that the kites connect the living with the spirits of the dead above the graves. It is free, deeply local and visually overwhelming, and it draws visitors from across the country and beyond.
When it runs
Every year on 1 November, the Day of the Dead, on the field beside the Sumpango cemetery, with a community kite-flying day on 2 November. Founded in 1978; the 47th edition was held on 1 November 2025, and the next is expected on 1 November 2026.
- Nov 1, 2026ExpectedFestival de Barriletes Gigantes 2026
- Ran Nov 1, 2025Festival de Barriletes Gigantes 2025 (47th)
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The festival happens every year on 1 November, with a smaller community kite-flying day on 2 November. It runs through the daylight hours on and beside the football field next to the Sumpango cemetery. Early November is dry-season weather in the highlands, warm and sunny by day. Expect very large crowds, dust and full transport on the day, and note that the biggest kites are displays that are stood up rather than actually flown.
Getting there & around
Sumpango is about forty minutes from Antigua and just off the Interamerican Highway west of Guatemala City, so most visitors come on a day trip on 1 November, either self-driving or with a shuttle from Antigua. Go early, as roads into town and parking fill fast and the display is at its best in the morning light before the afternoon launch attempts. There is a small entrance fee to the festival field. Bring sun protection, water and cash for food stalls.
Where it happens
Sumpango, Guatemala.
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