The Lima Museum of Art (MALI) will open its doors for free for ten days, from Friday, July 24th through Sunday, August 2nd. It is one of the most important museums in Peru, presenting as it does 3,000 years of Peruvian history through a vast collection of more than 12,000 pieces of art. Local business Edelnor is sponsoring the event, which aims to bring the museums cultural value into the reach of everyone.
The 28th annual Gran Corso Wong, Great Wong Parade, will take place this Sunday, July 19th. The event has become a local tradition and one of the main events of Lima’s Fiestas Patrias (Independence Days) celebrations. Although the official dates of Fiestas Patrias aren’t until the 28th and 29th of this month, Lima will kick off the celebrations this weekend.
If you’ll be traveling through Peru in July, get ready to string up your red and white streamers and don your Peruvian flag pin! One of Peru’s largest celebrations of the year is Independence Days, celebrated the 28th and 29th of each July. The atmosphere is festive, with red and white decorations appear throughout the streets, and many Peruvians take advantage of the long weekend to travel and to celebrate with their families, enjoying traditional regional dishes throughout the country such as ceviche and causa in Lima, goat stew in the north, roast guinea pig and alpaca in the Andes, and stuffed chili peppers in Arequipa to name just a few. Throughout Peru there’ll be fairs and street parties, outdoor concerts and fireworks shows, impromptu serenades in the plazas and parks, folkloric dance parades, and bullfights.
Since last year, Lima is the ost visited city in Latin America. The City of Kings (as Lima is affectionately known by the limeños) surpassed the region’s other popular cities, including Buenos Aires, Mexico Cancún, Punta Cana, Río de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. Although being the gateway to a country boasting wonders such as Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, and Lake Titicaca certainly helps greatly, the city itself is a wonderful surprise for who take the time to explore Peru’s capital…
The most popular neighborhood in Lima for travelers is undoubtedly seaside Miraflores, which is considered the greenest part of Lima thanks to its many parks and gardens. It boasts pre-Incan ruins, some of the city’s best cevichería restaurants, and the city’s liveliest nightlife. Many travelers enjoy simply walking along the scenic Malecón Verde, as the winding along the green cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean is known, stopping at the various small parks. You can take advantage of the enviable boardwalk views in a more active way, however, by opting for a quick but thrilling paragliding ride.