Panama Events & Festivals 2026
Complete calendar of 17 events: Las Tablas Carnival, Jazz Festival, Black Christ of Portobelo, Pollera Festival and more. Dates, locations and tips for each festival.
Panama Jazz Festival
One of the most important jazz festivals in Latin America, held every January in Panama City since 2003. Founded by legendary Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, it brings together world-class international artists.
Flower & Coffee Fair
The Flower & Coffee Fair is held every January in Boquete, Chiriquí, in the highland cloud forest. Exotic flower exhibitions, tastings of the famous Geisha coffee, indigenous crafts, and folk music in a spectacular natural setting.
Parade of a Thousand Polleras
Every January, Las Tablas hosts a parade of over a thousand women wearing the pollera, Panama's national dress. A spectacle of color, tradition, and Panamanian pride that fills the streets with gold jewelry, tembleques, and the region's traditional music.
Panama Carnival
Panama's biggest party, celebrated four days before Ash Wednesday. Las Tablas hosts the legendary rivalry between Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo with elaborate floats, culecos (water trucks), and queen competitions.
Portobelo Congo Festival
The Portobelo Congo Festival is a unique Afro-colonial carnival celebration where descendants of maroon slaves recreate their ancestors' resistance and freedom through dance, drums, and theatrical performances. Living cultural heritage just 30 minutes from Playa Escondida.
Holy Week
Holy Week is Panama's most important religious celebration. Solemn processions wind through towns and cities, especially in La Villa de Los Santos, Atalaya, and Pesé. Beyond religious fervor, it's peak beach season and the perfect opportunity to enjoy Panama's coastline.
International Fair of Azuero
The International Fair of Azuero is held every April in Villa de Los Santos, on the Azuero Peninsula. Ten days of bull riding, típica music, folkloric dances, agricultural exhibits, and the best of rural Panamanian tradition.
Panama International Film Festival
IFF Panama is Central America's most important film festival, showcasing international, Latin American, and Panamanian films in Casco Viejo's historic theaters. A week of screenings, director talks, and cultural events.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi in Panama is a unique celebration that fuses Catholicism with indigenous traditions. The diablicos sucios (dirty devils) dance in elaborate wooden masks and red-and-black striped costumes through the streets of Los Santos and Penonomé.
National Pollera Festival
The National Pollera Festival is held every July in Las Tablas, paying tribute to Panama's national dress. Women from across the country wear hand-embroidered polleras valued at thousands of dollars, accompanied by traditional dances and típica music.
Santa Librada Patron Saint Festival
The Santa Librada Festival in Las Tablas every July is one of Panama's most colorful celebrations. Pollera parades, bullfights, típica music, the Festival Queen, and fireworks lighting up the town for a week.
Panama Restaurant Week
Panama Restaurant Week is the country's biggest food event, where the city's top restaurants offer special fixed-price menus at accessible prices. It's the perfect opportunity to try top restaurants like Maito, Donde José, and dozens more.
National Mejorana Festival
The National Mejorana Festival is held every September in Guararé, Los Santos, and is the largest celebration of Panamanian folklore. Sung décimas, mejorana guitar, tamboritos, traditional dances, and the essence of Panamanian traditional music.
Black Christ Festival of Portobelo
Complete guide to the Black Christ Festival 2026 — October 21st in Portobelo, Colón. Thousands of pilgrims, candlelit nighttime procession, Congo drums and Afro-Caribbean dances at this UNESCO World Heritage town. How to get there, what to expect, and where to stay.
El Valle Orchid Festival
The Orchid Festival celebrates the extraordinary botanical diversity of El Valle de Antón's crater, where over 100 orchid species grow. Exhibitions, cultivation competitions, botanical hiking, and artisanal market just 45 minutes from Buenaventura.
Panama Independence Days
Panama celebrates three independence days in November: the 3rd (from Colombia, 1903), the 10th (First Cry of Independence from Villa de Los Santos, 1821), and the 28th (from Spain, 1821). Civic parades, flags, school bands, and patriotic events fill the country.
Day of the Dead
Every November 2nd, Panamanian families visit cemeteries to honor their deceased loved ones with flowers, candles, food, and prayers. It is a day of community remembrance, reflection, and celebration of life.
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