Every year Cajamarca prepares for weeks to hold the biggest carnival festivities in all of Peru. Carnival dates change in relation to Easter, so check the dates before you plan your trip. Start to finish, the calendar of events goes about three weeks, see 2025 example schedule below.

Most events feature the Ño Carnavalón, the spirit of carnival represented by a giant puppet, usually made with paper-maché. The Ño is the señor of carnival, usually made to look like an elderly man.

About two weeks before the main carnival events, the people of Cajamarca hold a wedding for him. The last night of carnival is his wake and the final day they stage his funeral.

The day you should be most aware of is Entrada del Ño Carnavalón, which locals simply call Entrada. This is the day that everything and everyone in Cajamarca is splashed with paint: people, cars, houses, police, businesses, churches, everything. If you don’t want to be splashed with paint, stay inside for Entrada. Many people cover the front of their homes with tarps and park their cars in guarded parking lots. Churches usually get tarp protection too.