Peru’s Inti Raymi festival is traditionally held on June 24.
The date coincides with the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere and with the Catholic feast of Saint John the Baptist. The Inca Empire held ceremonies honoring Inti, the sun god, around the solstice.
Modern Inti Raymi was revived in Cusco in 1944. Its principal modern ceremonies take place at Qorikancha, the Plaza de Armas, and the archaeological site of Sacsayhuamán.
June 24 is also Cusco’s anniversary celebration, so the city hosts a wider program of cultural events around the festival. The date is not the Southern Hemisphere’s summer solstice; it marks winter there.