SeasonMapWhat's on in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán), Guatemala through the year
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala has 6 curated events through the year — 4 festivals and 2 seasons. The ones to plan around: Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan (March) and Todos Santos (November). March, April and December are its peak-crowd months.
Updated September 2026 · every event curated and sourced · dates for 2026 where they are announced, the usual window where they are not
Best time to visit Lake Atitlán (Atitlán): weather, crowds and notes →
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) events and crowds by month
| Month | What starts | Crowds |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | Busy |
| February | — | Busy |
| March | Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan | Peak crowds |
| April | — | Peak crowds |
| May | — | Quiet |
| June | — | Quiet |
| July | — | Shoulder season |
| August | — | Shoulder season |
| September | Independence Day | Busy |
| October | — | Shoulder season |
| November | Todos Santos, Xocomil on the lake, Dry season | Busy |
| December | Santo Tomas at Chichicastenango | Peak crowds |
January in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in January →Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in January.
Still on: Xocomil on the lake (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Dry season (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))
February in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in February →Busy — Dry season
Nothing new starts in February.
Still on: Xocomil on the lake (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Dry season (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))
March in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in March →Peak crowds — Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan, Dry season
- Festival
Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan
29 Mar – 5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlySantiago Atitlan brings Maximon out of the cofradia house and carries him through the town in Holy Week, alongside the Catholic processions. The lanchas across the lake run late and the villages fill before Panajachel does. Source ↗
Still on: Xocomil on the lake (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Dry season (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))
April in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in April →Peak crowds — Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan, Dry season
Nothing new starts in April.
Still on: Semana Santa at Santiago Atitlan (29 Mar – 5 Apr), Xocomil on the lake (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Dry season (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))
May in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in May →Quiet — one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in May.
June in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in June →Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in June.
July in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in July →Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in July.
August in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in August →Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in August.
September in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in September →Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it
- Festival
Independence Day
14–15 SepNational holidayCrowdedTorch relays come round the lake road through the night of the 14th and every school in Solola parades the next morning. Firecrackers from before dawn and the boats keep their own hours. Source ↗
October in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in October →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in October.
November in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in November →Busy — Dry season
- Festival
Todos Santos
1 NovMajor festivalFamilies spend 1 November in the cemeteries above the lake villages, repainting the graves and eating fiambre among them. The Solola market beforehand is at its busiest of the year. Source ↗
- Season
Xocomil on the lake
1 Nov – 30 Apr · usuallyWind seasonRiskThe xocomil gets up over the water around midday and turns the crossings into a soaking. Boatmen do the long runs in the morning, and the last lanchas back leave earlier than visitors expect.
- Season
Dry season
1 Nov – 30 Apr · usuallyCrowdedClear mornings with all three volcanoes out, and dust on every road down to the water. The villages are busiest around Christmas and Holy Week; February is the quiet middle of it.
December in Lake Atitlán (Atitlán)
Lake Atitlán (Atitlán) weather in December →Peak crowds — Dry season, Santo Tomas at Chichicastenango
- Festival
Santo Tomas at Chichicastenango
13–21 DecMajor festivalCrowdedAn hour and a half up from the lake, Chichicastenango spends the week to the 21st in masked dances, copal smoke on the church steps and the palo volador in the square. Day trips leave Panajachel early. Source ↗
Still on: Xocomil on the lake (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Dry season (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))