What's on in Potosí, Bolivia through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Altiplanic winter storms (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Carnaval Minero, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Carnaval Minero

  1 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyCarnivalCrowded

  The miners' own carnival runs for weeks of ritual stages and ends with thousands coming out of the Cerro Rico shafts in costume, and offerings poured to the Pachamama at the mine mouths on Carnival Monday. Source ↗

Still on: Altiplanic winter storms (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Carnaval Minero, Semana Santa

• Holiday

  Semana Santa

  15 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallyEaster & Holy Week

  Holy Week in the colonial churches is among Bolivia's most traditional: the Good Friday procession from San Martin de Tours draws thousands, with brotherhoods carrying the images through the old centre. Source ↗

Still on: Carnaval Minero (1 Feb – 10 Mar (usually)), Altiplanic winter storms (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Semana Santa

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Semana Santa (15 Mar – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Freezing nights above 4,000 m

  1 Jun – 15 Aug · usuallyExtreme cold

  Potosí is one of the highest cities in the world and the dry-season nights go well below zero in buildings that are almost never heated. The mine tours run regardless; the wait outside is the hard part.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Freezing nights above 4,000 m (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Ch'utillos

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  5–7 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  6 August is Bolivia's national day: schoolchildren, civic groups and the military parade around the main square, flags hang from every building, and banks, offices and many shops close. Streets in the centre are closed for the parades. Source ↗

• Festival

  Ch'utillos

  28–30 AugReligious feastCrowdedBook early

  Bolivia's second-largest festival: three days of village troupes and city fraternities dancing the length of Potosí for San Bartolomé, with the ride out to the Cueva del Diablo. UNESCO-listed since 2023. Source ↗

Still on: Freezing nights above 4,000 m (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Peak crowds — Todos Santos, Potosi anniversary, 10 November

• Holiday

  Todos Santos

  1–3 NovReligious feastClosures

  Potosi keeps All Saints over three days: home altars with t'antawawa bread figures open to visitors on 1 November, then music, food and dancing to send the souls off. Many businesses close. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Potosi anniversary, 10 November

  10 NovNational holidayClosures

  The department's civic holiday marks the 1810 uprising against Spanish rule with parades of schools, miners and the army around the main square. Offices and many shops close. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Altiplanic winter storms

  1 Dec – 15 Mar · usuallyRisk

  The high-country storm season of the southern summer: afternoon hail and rain most days, and the unpaved roads out to the Salar and towards Sucre wash out for a day at a time. Source ↗