Señor de los Milagros 2026: Procession Dates and Routes

PERU · LIMA · CULTURE

Updated 19 October 2026

The Señor de los Milagros, or Lord of Miracles, is carried through central Lima on five days in 2026: Saturday 3 and Sunday 18 October (both held), then Monday 19 October, Wednesday 28 October and Sunday 1 November. The October processions start at 6 a.m. (7 a.m. ET) and continue into the early hours of the next day, while the 1 November procession starts at noon and closes the season.

Señor de los Milagros 2026: Procession Dates and Routes

The brotherhood announced five processions for 2026 in September, with the same pattern of long October days as in past years. These are the routes it published, which the Peruvian state newspaper El Peruano and other Lima media reported:

The October processions last most of a day and a night, so the image is often back only in the small hours. On 28 October 2025, for example, it left at 6 a.m. and returned at about 5 a.m. the next morning.

What Happened on 18 October

The second procession left the Las Nazarenas sanctuary at 6 a.m. on Sunday, 18 October, and thousands of devotees followed the image through the historic centre, La República reported. In the Plaza Mayor it received homage from Lima’s city hall, the government palace and the Archbishop’s Palace, and the square was decorated with more than 20 flower carpets.

The social security health service EsSalud treated more than 130 devotees during the day. The cases were dehydration, low blood pressure, heat stroke, high blood pressure crises and minor falls, and EsSalud ran two medical posts at Caylloma and Ica streets with two ambulances. Late on Sunday night the image was on the 10th block of Jirón Áncash, La República reported, before it rested overnight at the Iglesia del Carmen.

The third procession leaves the Iglesia del Carmen today, Monday 19 October, and EsSalud said it will keep medical posts for 19 and 28 October and 1 November. Visitors should drink water, shade themselves and eat before joining the crowd.

Street Closures and Transport

The Municipality of Lima has announced progressive closures in the historic centre from 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day on 18, 19 and 28 October, with streets reopening as the procession passes. On 1 November the roadway along the route closes completely from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The closures on 19 October also reach part of La Victoria, and on 28 October part of Breña, the districts the routes cross. Before the first procession the municipality warned that traffic could be restricted up to two hours ahead of a closure, so leave extra time even away from the route.

The ATU publishes its Metropolitano and corridor diversions a few days before each procession, and it had not posted the plan for 18 October by 14 October. For the first procession it closed several Metropolitano stations near the route and shortened some services.

The Story of the Image

Around 1650, an enslaved man from Angola painted an image of Christ on an adobe wall in Pachacamilla, then a district of Lima. His name is uncertain, and accounts call him Pedro Dalcón or Benito.

When an earthquake struck in 1655, the wall with the painting stayed standing, which believers saw as the first miracle. After another earthquake in 1687, an oil copy of the image was made and carried through the streets for the first time.

The original mural remains in the Las Nazarenas sanctuary, and it is the copy that leaves on a heavy litter carried by teams of the brotherhood. Women who swing incense, the sahumadoras, and choirs of singers walk ahead of it.

The Purple Month

Peruvians call October el mes morado, the purple month, because many devotees wear a purple habit tied with a white cord. For many it marks a private promise, so it is worn as a garment of faith rather than a costume.

The sweet of the season is turrón de Doña Pepa, a layered sweet sold by the slice across Lima in October. Tradition credits Josefa Marmanillo, a freed Afro-Peruvian woman from the Cañete valley, who is said to have made it in thanks to the Lord of Miracles.

Tips for Visitors

Treat 18, 19 and 28 October as difficult days for anything inside the old centre, because museums, banks and restaurants near the route can be out of reach for hours. If you want to watch, arrive early, choose a side street and agree a meeting point with your group.

The municipality advises putting a paper with a contact phone number in children’s clothing and suggests older people avoid the densest crowds. For the first procession it also set up mobile first-aid tents with health and fire services, according to Canal N.

Pickpocketing is a risk in any dense crowd, so carry little and keep your phone out of sight. Stay respectful when the litter passes, and never block the carriers.

What Is Not Known

Street-by-street closures may change on the day, and the ATU diversions for the later processions can differ from the first. There is no official crowd count for the main October processions, and the EsSalud figure covers only people it treated.

Pope Leo XIV is due in Peru from 11 to 16 November, although the Vatican said on 11 October that he would first undergo surgery, Infobae reported. The brotherhood said in September that it was ready to take the image to the papal mass if asked, but no official request had been reported by 14 October.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Related: What to do in Lima in October 2026 · Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Peru

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Señor de los Milagros procession in 2026?

The remaining processions are on Sunday 18 and Monday 19 October, Wednesday 28 October and Sunday 1 November 2026. The first outing took place on 3 October.

What time does the Señor de los Milagros procession start?

The 18, 19 and 28 October processions start at 6 a.m. Lima time, which is 7 a.m. ET. The 1 November procession starts at noon, after an 11 a.m. field mass.

What is the route on 18 October 2026?

It leaves Las Nazarenas along Tacna, Ica and the Jirón de la Unión to the Plaza Mayor, then continues to Abancay and Junín. It ends overnight at the Iglesia del Carmen in Lima’s historic centre.

When are streets closed for the procession?

The Municipality of Lima closes streets in the historic centre progressively from 6 a.m. to about 4 a.m. the next day on 18, 19 and 28 October. On 1 November the route is fully closed from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Were devotees treated for heat or illness on 18 October?

Yes. EsSalud treated more than 130 devotees on 18 October for dehydration, low blood pressure, heat stroke, high blood pressure crises and minor falls. It said it will keep medical posts for the later processions.

Why do people in Peru wear purple in October?

October is el mes morado, the purple month, dedicated to the Lord of Miracles. Many devotees wear a purple habit with a white cord as a sign of faith.

What is turrón de Doña Pepa?

It is a layered sweet sold by the slice across Lima in October, the purple month. Tradition links it to Josefa Marmanillo, a freed Afro-Peruvian woman who is said to have made it in thanks to the Lord of Miracles.

Sources: El Peruano, five 2026 processions · RPP, dates, routes and times · Infobae Perú, 17 September 2026 · La República, 17 September 2026 · Infobae Perú, street closures, 30 September 2026 · Andina, transport, 2 October 2026 · Infobae Perú, Metropolitano diversions, 18 September 2026 · Canal N, municipal plan · Infobae Perú, 28 October 2025 procession · RPP, history of the image · Infobae Perú, origin of the devotion, 30 September 2025 · Andina, turrón de Doña Pepa · Infobae Perú, papal visit, 11 October 2026 · RPP, papal mass, 17 September 2026