Ica’s International Vendimia Festival 2012
March 2 to March 12th
The Vendimia, or Harvest, Festival has been realized in the region of Ica during the first weeks of March since 1958 in honor of the region’s claim to fame- the best quality wines in Peru, and the world’s finest piscos, the Peruvian grape brandy which originated in this region.
During the festival, the city and countryside are transformed as musical festivals celebrating the region’s Afro-Peruvian heritage abound, with Marinera dance contests, shows exhibiting the unique side-stepping Peruvian paso horse, open-air parties nightly, folkloric shows, fireworks, and more.
You’ll definitely want to visit one of the food fairs to experience the region’s cuisine, or check out the sandboarding competitions on the dunes outside of Huacachina Oasis. If you plan a daytrip to the oasis, you can even experiment with this unique adrenaline-filled sport as well! Our agency department, Pirwa Travel Service, can arrange an sandboarding excursion for you to Huacachina Oasis if you want to give it at try!
Other attractions include the Main Parade 
with its floats and local and international beauty queens tossing bunches of grapes and the Election of the Festival Queen, which was scheduled pre-festival for Feb 25th but has been postponed due to permit issues. The Festival Queen and her court will tread the grapes after the rite of the cutting of the bunches.
The main parade is on Sunday and is traditionally followed by a yunza, whereby a tree is laden with treats and prizes like a piñata and one by one people come to try and cut it down. Once the game is complete attendees scramble for the treats.
One of the best activities that travelers can engage in is known as the Pisco Route– visiting the valley’s wineries to learn about the process of creating these artisanal wines and brandies and enjoying tastings afterwards. During the festival the wineries will often schedule fiestas with traditional wine stomping, dance contests, cockfights, and more.
Who are some of the confirmed artists thus 
far? Well, it’s been a little difficult tracking down the official programme, which will hopefully hit the web in the coming days. Columbian artist Tego Calderon, one of reggaeton’s first superstars, often referred to as The Street Poet, will be performing at the campground on March 3rd along with the Argentinean Wachiturros, who’ve had a lot of hits in Peru the last year. Classical guitarist Gianmarco will perform on the 9th, and Chino and Nacho on the 8th.
From there on, there are names being thrown around as disparate as Evanescence’s Amy Lee and Mexican rockers Maná, but we’re still waiting on the official roster, so check back here for the programme because we’ll be confirming as soon as it’s available.
While in Ica…
Well, first, you need to get there- Ica is just a 4 hour drive south of Lima, so it’s easy to arrange for a bus trip. If you need any assistance or recommendations, Pirwa Travel Service can help. You can reach them at pirwatravel@gmail.com, or, if you’re staying in one of our hostels in Miraflores, Lima, simply stop by the information desk which you’ll find in each of our hostels.
Of course, the number one item on your sampling list 
needs to be the aromatic Peruvian pisco, but also try another local drink known as cachina. Together with the liquors, you can sample snacks such as the delicious tejas caramelized fruit filled with a rich caramel sauce and coated with fondant, or in the case of tejas de pecanas, with pecans instead of fruit.
The Verano Negro Festival continues in Chincha, so this is a great time to stop by Ica. If you’re not sure what activities you’re interested in exploring while here, check out our earlier blog post with our top recommendations in Nazca.