What's on in Cafayate, Argentina through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Summer holidays in Argentina

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Summer storm road closures (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)), Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan)

Peak crowds — Carnival long weekend, Serenata a Cafayate

• Season

  Torrontés harvest

  1 Feb – 15 Apr · usually

  The high-altitude Torrontés comes off the vines from February and the bodegas ringing the town open their cellars and run tastings while the picking is on.

• Holiday

  Carnival long weekend

  14–17 FebCrowdedBook early

  Carnival Monday and Tuesday are national holidays, making a four-day weekend near the end of summer. Long-distance buses and domestic flights fill and rates rise in popular towns, and local comparsas parade in many places. Source ↗

• Festival

  Serenata a Cafayate

  26–28 FebMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  Three nights of folklore at the Bodega Encantada that run until dawn and fill every bed in the Calchaquí valley. A town of eight thousand takes tens of thousands of people for the weekend. Source ↗

Still on: Summer storm road closures (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Argentina, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Semana Santa

  2–5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Holy Thursday and Good Friday make one of the year's biggest long weekends. Banks and public offices close, long-distance buses and domestic flights sell out, and hotels in popular towns fill at higher rates, so book ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Torrontés harvest (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually)), Carnival long weekend (14–17 Feb), Serenata a Cafayate (26–28 Feb), Summer storm road closures (15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Semana Santa

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Torrontés harvest (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually)), Semana Santa (2–5 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Peak crowds — Winter school holidays, Winter recess in Argentina

• Holiday

  Winter school holidays

  5–31 Jul · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  Argentina's July winter break fills Cafayate with families on the wine route; hotels ran at about three-quarters full in 2026 while other destinations slumped, so book rooms and bodega visits ahead. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Festival

  Offering to the Pachamama

  1 AugMajor festival

  On 1 August the town feeds Mother Earth at the Chuscha monument on the Costanera: neighbours offer food, drink, seeds and coca leaves to the earth, with folk music and dances from late morning. Source ↗

Busy — Fiesta of La Sentadita, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Fiesta of La Sentadita

  28 Sep – 7 OctReligious feastCrowded

  The novena for the town's patroness ends on 7 October with a procession of the seated Virgin, a parade of tractors, taxis and gaucho riders, and pilgrims arriving on foot and bicycle from across the Calchaquí valley. Source ↗

Busy — Fiesta of La Sentadita

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Fiesta of La Sentadita (28 Sep – 7 Oct)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Summer holidays in Argentina

• Hazard

  Summer storm road closures

  15 Dec – 15 Mar · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  The valley's rain arrives as short violent summer storms and the Quebrada de las Conchas road towards Salta closes for rockfall and washed-out crossings. The tourist office on the plaza posts the state of it. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosures

  Argentines celebrate at midnight on 24 and 31 December with family dinners and fireworks. Shops close early on those evenings, and on 25 December and 1 January almost everything is shut, including many restaurants. Source ↗