How To Celebrate New Years Eve in Peru for guaranteed great time?

Why celebrate New Year’s Eve in Peru? Before delving into Peru’s New Years traditions, ask yourself, how do you usually ring in the New Year?

Champagne, fireworks and Auld Lang Syne? A litany of New Year’s resolutions, many of which you’re embarrassed to utter out loud for fear that you won’t make good?

Puh-lease… you need to come celebrate New Year’s Eve in Peru. Health, happiness and prosperity will follow throughout 2025!

Peruvian New Year’s Traditions

When the clock strikes midnight, the most common New Years tradition in Peru is to eat 13 grapes while making 12 wishes — a grape for each month, and the 13th to seal the deal. If a grape is missed, however, beware because bad luck might befall you on the month in question.

It’s not just grapes. New Year’s celebration in Peru takes the adage “Out with the old and in with the new” to a higher level. Peru’s colorful bevy of New Years Eve traditions burst with optimism.

Pack your suitcase for the new year

If it’s wealth you’re after, fill a small suitcase with play money. If you’re planning to start a new business, throw in few miniature cars, toy houses, maybe a few miniature boats, and definitely candy. And if you plan to travel within the year, empty the suitcase and walk around with it at midnight through the neighborhood. Those who are desperate for adventure can do no better than visiting Machu Picchu, which is one of the most famous citadels created by the ancient Inca empire.

Potatoes in a bowl

Another tradition calls for placing three potatoes in a bowl of cold water under the bed, one peeled, one half-peeled and one unpeeled. At midnight, one is picked without looking.

Picking the peeled potato portends a challenging year ahead. The one that is half-peeled does not represent either good or bad. And the one that is not peeled at all signifies great a bonanza for the year ahead.

New Year’s fashion tips for a great 2025

Wearing clothing of particular colors signifies your desires for the upcoming year. Green is for wealth, red is for love and yellow (the most popular) is for luck and happiness. Yellow underpants, worn inside out, are especially popular in Lima.

But the clothes must be new!

Old clothes are used to dress up a large doll or effigy, often with a mask of an unpopular politician. The pockets are fill with firecrackers and it is set ablaze on the street at the stroke of midnight.

Amazing Peruvian food for New Years Eve dinner

Peruvian turkey, roast pork and yellow potato Causa are all common dishes for News Year’s Eve dinner. Sparkling wine and pisco sours flow freely.

In Peru’s Southern Andean Highlands, a figurine of the Ekeko will commonly be perched nearby when the fireworks start. This cheerful little man, laden with play money, seeds and a cornucopia of goodness, symbolizes abundance, fertility and joy.

New Years in Peru: Where to Celebrate

Imagine a trip to the former Inca Empire! An incredible journey to discover the magnificence of Peru’s natural wonders. You’ll fall in love with Peruvian music, world class cuisine and the people.

Unlike the New Year’s celebrations far north of the equator, in Peru you’ll be toasting the New Year during the peak of summer.

You could start your Peru holiday in Lima the day before New Year’s Eve. On December 31, take a motorboat trip to the Ballestas Islands to see the huge colonies of exotic birds and swim with the sea lions.

The New Year’s Eve festivities will take place in a luxurious hotel that offers a panoramic view of the fireworks lighting up the City of Kings. There will be delicious food, great music and, of course, sparkling champagne.

If white sand beaches are more to your liking, we recommend heading north to Mancora to ring in the New Year with the Pacific Ocean as your backdrop.

The Inca capital city of Cusco is another fantastic option to celebrate New Years in Peru. Some of the top Cusco hotels offer great New Year’s party packages. Cusco’s ancient streets and plazas come alive for New Years Eve. The fireworks displays at midnight are extra spectacular two miles above sea level. Join the festivities. When the fireworks end, the clubs and bars fill up and the celebration continues until sunrise.

Traveling Peru during New Years

It’s important to know that this time of year will get busier, so you’ll want to plan out your dream trip in advance. This means searching and booking your accommodation in advance, and also both your international and domestic flights.

The other thing to know is that costs can also increase, so it’s worth booking your flights far in advance and to avoid last-minute bookings if possible. On the other hand, tour prices will generally stay the same – although it’s still worth booking as soon as you can in order to guarantee your preferred trip dates and accommodation.

Book a New Years Peru Tour with Fertur Travel

Heading to Peru during New Years is a very special time, and we can guarantee that you’ll have an unforgettable experience with all of the traditional celebrations and events that will be on. If you are still wondering how to organize your trip, then get in touch with our travel planning team who can customize your dream Peru trip. After all, we have been creating itineraries for couples, families, solo travelers and groups for over 30 years.

If our information on New Year’s Eve in Peru intrigues you, let us know.

We would love to help you start 2025 with a great Peru vacation.

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