Enero Tilcareño 2027: Tilcara's January Festival Guide

Argentina's national government describes it as a cultural, social and sports gathering that began in 1957, started by a local association called Amigos de Tilcara, and grew into an event with provincial and national reach. Because it has run almost every year since then, it ranks among the longest-running festivals in the country.

It is not a single concert but a programme that fills the whole month. In any given week you might find:

• Folk concerts, plus some rock and other genres, with musicians from the Quebrada and further afield.
• Gaucho events such as the pialada (a roping contest) and a criollo campfire.
• Pottery, weaving and regional cooking workshops.
• Food and sweets fairs.
• Fashion shows of handmade clothing and the election of the festival's Paisana, a kind of folk queen.
• Tributes to the copla, the traditional sung verse of the Andes, and to local cultural figures.
• Guided walks around town.

The heart of it all is the main square, Plaza Coronel Manuel Álvarez Prado, in the centre of Tilcara. The big nights are held at the Club Terry grounds and the municipal covered arena, with smaller events at the José Antonio Terry regional painting museum, cultural venues and the nearby hamlet of Juella.

The Amigos de Tilcara association was founded on 23 January 1957, chaired by Dr Carlos Gil, as Magda Choquevilca, one of its long-time members, told the newspaper El Tribuno de Jujuy. Its aim was to promote the town, with a strong focus on the arts. The painter Medardo Pantoja was among the residents behind the first gatherings.

According to accounts gathered by researcher Jimena Garro Vidal, that first festival lasted about two weeks. The town hired two bands for the opening night and screened films in the square. Back then Tilcara was a summer retreat for families from the provincial capital, Tucumán and Buenos Aires, and for its first ten years the shows were free.

Several sources link the festival's roots to the summer flooding of the Huasamayo stream, which brings down the stones and sand locals use for building. People gave thanks by throwing coca leaves and tobacco into the water. That blend of Andean ritual and party lives on: at the 2020 opening, for instance, women singers of coplas made offerings at a stone cairn at the entrance to town, asking Pachamama (Mother Earth) for permission to begin.

Over the decades the festival added stages and bigger names, along with debates about how far it should go towards a mega-concert format. Today it mixes folk nights with daytime activities aimed at locals and visitors alike.

The festival runs throughout January. As of early November 2026 the town had not published the 2027 programme, so exact dates will be announced later. For reference, this is how the 2026 edition was laid out:

• 3 January: first events, with pottery workshops in Juella.
• 6 January: nativity scene gathering in the square.
• Saturday 10 January: official launch in the main square from 7:30 am, with a copla tribute and a roping festival.
• Saturday 17 January: first night of the Festival Enero Tilcareño at Club Terry.
• Friday 23 January: rock festival.
• Saturday 24 January: second folk festival night.
• 30 January: food fair.
• Saturday 31 January: closing parade of carnival troupes and a free street dance at the municipal arena.
• Sunday 1 February: the Tilcara Corre fun run.

The launch usually falls on a Saturday in the first half of the month, and the concert nights tend to be at weekends. If the big shows are your priority, plan your trip around a Saturday. Once the 2027 programme is out, you'll also find it in our Jujuy festival calendar.

The two main concert nights are the highlight for anyone travelling from afar. In 2026 both were held at Club Terry. The first featured Dalmiro Cuéllar, Erick Claros and Fati Sosa; the second brought Tomás Lipán, El Changuito Yuteño, Tati Domínguez, Los Criollos and La Cantada, along with folk dance troupes and local bands.

These are long, northern Argentine style festivals: they start in the evening and finish in the small hours. On the second night of 2026, La Cantada was billed to close the show at 3:15 am. Bring a warm jacket, because it gets cold at that hour, and something for the rain.

Tickets: prices and outlets are announced by the town alongside each year's programme, so check the municipality's social media or ask at the tourist office on the square when you arrive. Many daytime events in the square are free, while guided walks and some workshops were listed as paid activities in the 2026 programme.

By day, the festival happens in and around the square. The 2026 edition included:

• A roping festival and criollo campfire at the Peña Encantada campground, with the gaucho group Los Alisos from Abra Mayo, plus a women's roping contest. In a pialada, riders lasso a galloping horse by its front legs.
• A tribute to the copla at the El Hornito venue and Jallalla Warmi, a gathering of women folk musicians.
• Workshops in pottery (in Juella), tulmas (the woollen pompoms that decorate clothing and livestock), natural wool dyeing and humita, a corn dish.
• A spinning contest, a potters' meeting and workshops on making ermitas, the flower pictures you'll see again at Easter.
• Fashion shows of handmade clothing and the Paisana election.
• A sweets fair and a food fair.
• A walking tour from the tourist office and outings to the Garganta del Diablo gorge and the Cerro de la Cruz hill.

Private promoters add their own events too, such as sunset electronic music parties on the edge of town. A good rhythm is a morning hike, an afternoon at the fair and an evening at a peña, the local folk music bars.

The Enero Tilcareño opens the Quebrada's season of popular festivals and sets the stage for Carnival. In Tilcara, the Thursdays before Carnival have their own names. In 2026, the Thursdays of stepchildren, godparents and godchildren were celebrated in January, followed by the men's and women's Thursdays (Compadres and Comadres) in February. Some carnival troupes also begin making offerings at their stone cairns, followed by dances, and the fortines, the halls where each troupe holds its parties, start to come alive.

In 2027 Carnival comes early: the unearthing of the devil (desentierro) is on Saturday 6 February, Jueves de Compadres falls on 28 January and Jueves de Comadres on 4 February. So the end of the Enero Tilcareño will run straight into the build-up to Carnival. To catch both, plan a stay from late January into early February: you can see the festival's closing parade, the women's copla singing and the desentierro. Everything is in our Jujuy Carnival 2027 guide.

Another celebration worth adding is the Virgin of Candelaria festival on 2 February, about 42 km north. Read about it in our guide to the Candelaria festival in Humahuaca.

Tilcara is 84 km from San Salvador de Jujuy, the provincial capital, along Ruta Nacional 9, about 25 km from Purmamarca and about 42 km from Humahuaca.

• By car: around 1 hour 15 minutes from the capital, on paved road all the way.
• By bus: several buses a day leave from the San Salvador de Jujuy bus terminal, taking 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on stops. In January 2026 the fare was around 8,800 Argentine pesos, and shared taxis from the old terminal charged a similar price. Treat that as a rough guide, since fares change often.
• By air: Jujuy airport is in Perico, 33 km from the capital, with flights from Buenos Aires on Aerolíneas Argentinas and JetSMART. Many international visitors fly into Salta instead and drive the extra 120 km or so.

All the options are covered in how to get to Jujuy. In summer, storms can trigger mudslides that close the road for a few hours. Check the status of Ruta 9 before you set off and never drive through a dip with water flowing across it.

January is Argentina's summer holiday season, and Tilcara fills with domestic tourists, especially on festival weekends. Book a few weeks ahead and choose flexible cancellation in case rain forces a change of plans.

• Town centre, near the square: you're steps from everything, but on party nights it's noisy until late.
• Upper streets and the edge of town: quieter, with mountain views, 5 to 10 minutes' walk from the square.
• Outskirts: cabins with more space and parking, good for families, though you'll need a car or taxi at night.
• If everything is full: Maimará, 8 km away, and Purmamarca make good alternative bases.

Our guide on where to stay in Tilcara covers the neighbourhoods, verified hotels and hostels for every budget.

• Altitude: Tilcara sits at 2,465 m (about 8,090 ft). Take it easy on your first day, drink plenty of water and eat light meals. Alcohol hits harder at altitude, worth remembering on concert nights.
• Weather: January is midsummer and the rainy season. Long-term averages show highs of about 24 °C (75 °F), lows of 8 °C (46 °F) and around 42 mm of rain for the month. Expect sunny mornings and storms in the afternoon or evening. See the details in our Tilcara weather guide.
• What to pack: sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a light jacket for the evenings, a rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that can handle mud.
• Hikes: set off early, before the storms build, and stay out of dry riverbeds if it's raining up in the hills.
• Respect: the opening rituals and offerings mean a great deal to the community. Watch without interrupting and ask before taking close-up photos of people.