Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango and Santiago on 1 November

GUATEMALA · ALL SAINTS’ DAY FESTIVAL

Two highland towns raise kites taller than a house to honour their dead on All Saints’ Day. Entry was free in Sumpango last year, but the 2026 timetable has not yet been published.

Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, less than 50 kilometres west of Guatemala City, hold their giant kite festival on Sunday, 1 November 2026. Known in Spanish as Barriletes Gigantes, the kites are built by local groups over months and shown on All Saints’ Day.

For US visitors, the draw is a UNESCO-listed Maya tradition near Antigua, and Sumpango charged no entry last year. The catch is that neither town has published its official 2026 programme, so the times given here come from 2025.

What the Giant Kites Are and Why They Matter

The kites are mostly round panels of tissue paper on bamboo frames, and Sumpango’s top 2025 category spanned 10 to 15 metres. One Sumpango collective said its 2025 work began in August, when members chose the design.

The largest pieces are too big to fly, so they are raised on poles as giant standing panels. Smaller kites of four to six metres are the ones flown, along with kites made by children’s groups.

UNESCO inscribed the technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango on its intangible heritage list in December 2024. The decision, taken in Asunción, Paraguay, placed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

UNESCO dates the tradition to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and calls the kites a way to connect with ancestors. Its file adds that they are meant to ward off negative spirits and promote renewal.

Designs often carry messages about the environment, violence and human rights, the UNESCO file says. Committees of kite makers organise the fairs, set the rules and award prizes, with support from the municipalities.

All Saints’ Day on 1 November is a public holiday, when many Guatemalan families visit graves and eat fiambre, a cold salad. In Santiago Sacatepéquez, the kites go up among the tombs of the town’s general cemetery.

What Is Confirmed for 2026

Santiago Sacatepéquez’s kite association plans its 127th festival for 1 and 2 November 2026, the Guatemalan broadcaster Emisoras Unidas reported in June. Its theme for 2026 translates as “art that connects the earth with an embrace to the sky.”

About 50 Sumpango kite groups are preparing for Sunday, 1 November, at the town’s municipal stadium, La Hora reported in September. The Guatemala City daily said some of the town’s kite makers showed their work at Bondi’s Festival of the Winds in Sydney.

Sumpango, a Kaqchikel Maya town, held its 47th festival in 2025 and dedicated it to its bicentennial. Santiago’s 2025 festival was its 126th, which makes its tradition well over a century old.

No official 2026 timetable from either town or INGUAT, the state tourism institute, could be found by Thursday, 15 October. Santiago’s organisers presented their 2025 festival at INGUAT on Thursday, 23 October 2025, and the culture ministry published times a week later.

In 2025, the culture ministry listed a 9 a.m. kite raising in both towns on 1 November. Sumpango’s programme opened at 8 a.m., showed the giant kites from 8:30 a.m. and flew four-metre kites at 2 p.m. local time.

Guatemala keeps the same clock all year, six hours behind UTC, while US clocks fall back early on 1 November. That makes 8 a.m. in Sumpango 9 a.m. in New York on festival day.

Sumpango ended last year’s festival with a marimba concert at 5 p.m., and its organisers said entry to the field was free. La Hora quoted them calling the festival “a gift for the soul” and saying “the tradition belongs to everyone.”

Santiago’s 2025 schedule included a cemetery ceremony at 7 p.m. on 31 October, before the kites rose the next morning. In 2023, Prensa Libre reported that Santiago’s exhibition would run from about 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on 1 November.

How Sumpango and Santiago Differ

INGUAT figures cited by Ojo con mi Pisto, a Guatemalan investigative site, put attendance in 2024 above 65,500. Visitors spent about Q3.7 million (about US$484,000) that year, the same figures showed.

Santiago’s kites stand inside the general cemetery, among graves that families visit on the holiday. Strong winds can bring panels down, and in 2025, La Hora reported, a falling kite briefly trapped a boy who escaped unhurt.

Santiago has announced activities on both 1 and 2 November, which spreads its crowds over two days. In 2025, Sumpango also held a second-day event, “Mil barriletes en el aire,” in which residents flew their own kites around town.

Getting There From Guatemala City and Antigua

Both towns lie on or near the Inter-American Highway, less than 50 kilometres west of Guatemala City and La Aurora International Airport. Antigua, the colonial city where many foreign visitors stay, sits a short drive to the south.

From the capital, a kite festival organiser advised setting off early, when the drive takes about 45 minutes. He told the Guatemalan daily Prensa Libre in 2023 that later departures could take up to four hours.

The State Department bars US government staff from public buses, including Guatemala’s “chicken buses,” and from white taxis. It suggests trusted services such as Taxis Amarillo Express, Taxi Seguro or Uber instead.

Shuttle and tour companies in Antigua sell festival day trips, usually with a fixed return time. Ask when the bus leaves, since Sumpango’s smaller kites flew only at 2 p.m. last year.

US government staff are not allowed to travel outside the capital at night, the department says. Plan to be back in Antigua or Guatemala City before dark, especially if you drive yourself.

Safety, Entry Rules and Costs for US Visitors

In an advisory issued on Thursday, 12 March 2026, the State Department rates Guatemala Level 3, Reconsider Travel, for crime and terrorism. Its Do Not Travel areas are San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Guatemala City’s Zone 18 and Villa Nueva, and Sacatepéquez is not among them.

US government staff may visit Antigua, the department notes, but it warns that armed robbery is common after dark in urban areas. It also says local police may not have the resources to handle serious crime.

In crowds of this size, keep phones and cash out of sight and agree on a meeting point. INGUAT runs ASISTUR, a free 24-hour tourist assistance service reached by dialling 1500.

US citizens do not need a tourist visa and can stay up to 90 days, with a passport valid on entry. Travellers must complete an electronic immigration and customs declaration before arrival and show its QR code at customs.

Sumpango charged no entry in 2025, and no 2026 fee has been announced by either town. Conversions here use GTQ 7.64 per US dollar, the open.er-api.com rate of 15 October 2026.

Carry small notes for food stalls and parking, such as Q20 (about US$2.60) and Q50 (about US$6.50) bills. A Q100 note is worth about US$13, so withdraw cash in Antigua or Guatemala City beforehand.

Weather and What to Bring

The State Department says Guatemala’s heavy rainfall season runs from May to October, so early November sits at its tail end. Pack a light rain jacket with sunscreen and a hat, since both festival grounds are open to the sky.

Rain can stop the show, and in 2023 Storm Pilar led both towns to suspend their 1 November exhibitions. Sumpango rescheduled its festival for Sunday, 5 November 2023, Prensa Libre reported at the time.

Highland mornings can be cool, so layers help for an early start before the midday sun. INSIVUMEH, Guatemala’s national weather institute, publishes forecasts in the days before the holiday.

Guatemala also has active volcanoes, including Fuego, and the State Department warns that eruptions can bring ashfall with little warning. Check local news on the morning of the festival, especially if you plan to drive.

What It Means for You

For a US visitor, the festival offers a UNESCO-listed Maya tradition up close, on a Sunday holiday near Antigua. Expats living in Antigua or Guatemala City can manage it as a day trip if they leave early.

Treat the 2025 times as a guide only, and check the organisers’ official channels in the last week of October. Budget for a long day, and plan the ride back before dark.

What Is Not Known

The official 2026 programmes, start times and closing times for Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez have not been published. It is not confirmed whether entry will stay free or whether Sumpango will repeat its second-day event.

Traffic plans, parking areas and any official shuttle service are also not yet public. A Sumpango theme for 2026 appears on listing sites, but no official statement confirming it could be found.

What Comes Next

Last year, official schedules appeared in the final week of October, after Santiago’s organisers presented their plans at INGUAT. If the pattern holds, kite groups will assemble their frames on the evening of Saturday, 31 October.

The main exhibitions follow on Sunday, 1 November, and Santiago’s activities continue on Monday, 2 November. Recheck times the day before, as wind and weather can shift the flying schedule.

Connected Coverage

For background on the country, read Guatemala Explained 2026 and Safety in Guatemala 2026. The State Department rating is unpacked in a guide to the US Level 3 advisory.

Visitors based in Antigua can find more events in What to Do in Antigua Guatemala in October 2026. The Guatemalan Food Guide explains fiambre and other dishes eaten around the holiday.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the giant kite festival in Sumpango in 2026?

The main day is Sunday, 1 November 2026, All Saints’ Day, in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez. Santiago has announced activities on 1 and 2 November, but official 2026 times are not yet published.

Is the Barriletes Gigantes festival free?

Sumpango’s organisers said entry to the festival field was free in 2025. Neither town has announced a fee or confirmed free entry for 2026.

Is it safe for US visitors to go?

The State Department rates Guatemala Level 3, Reconsider Travel, but Sacatepéquez is not one of its Do Not Travel areas. Use trusted taxis or Uber rather than public buses, and head back before dark.

Sources: UNESCO, Technique of making the giant kites of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango; UNESCO, Decision 19.COM 7.B.41; Emisoras Unidas (7 June 2026); La Hora (21 September 2026); La Hora, Sumpango programme (31 October 2025); La Hora (28 October 2025); La Hora (1 November 2025); La Hora (3 November 2025); AGN (24 October 2025); AGN, culture ministry schedule (30 October 2025); AGN (1 November 2025); Ojo con mi Pisto (30 October 2025); Prensa Libre (29 October 2023); Prensa Libre (1 November 2023); Prensa Libre (3 November 2023); INGUAT, ASISTUR and traveller declaration; US State Department, Guatemala travel advisory; US State Department, Guatemala country information; open.er-api.com, exchange rates (all accessed 15 October 2026).