An overview of key events in Nicaragua in 2026, including major festivals, cultural gatherings, and nationwide celebrations.
Nicaragua hosts a wide range of public events throughout the year, including large religious celebrations, cultural festivals, and nationally significant gatherings that take place across the country. In 2026, these events are spread across cities, regional centers, and the Caribbean coast, reflecting different aspects of Nicaragua’s cultural life.
This overview highlights some of the main events in Nicaragua in 2026, along with a small selection of other celebrations worth knowing about. For visitors, these events offer opportunities to experience Nicaragua during periods when public life, music, and tradition move into shared spaces and take center stage.
1. Puro Sabor – Nicaraguan Cigar Festival (January)
Puro Sabor is Nicaragua’s premier cigar festival and takes place January 18–24, 2026, with activities centered on Estelí, the heart of the country’s cigar industry. The festival is aimed at cigar enthusiasts and industry professionals and combines factory and tobacco farm visits with tastings, demonstrations, and organized social events. Participants tour working cigar factories and growing regions to see how Nicaragua’s premium cigars are produced, from cultivation and fermentation to rolling and aging.
You might not know this, but Nicaraguan cigars are widely regarded among aficionados as some of the best in the world. Many in the industry rate them on par with, or in some cases superior to, Cuban cigars, particularly for their consistency, strength, and flavor profiles. Puro Sabor reflects that reputation, bringing together producers, blenders, and buyers who are closely involved in the global premium cigar market.
Evening programming usually includes structured dinners, receptions, and gala-style events that allow for networking and sampling. Over time, Puro Sabor has become one of Nicaragua’s most internationally recognized events, drawing visitors from North America, Europe, and Latin America each January.
2. International Poetry Festival of Granada (February)
The International Poetry Festival of Granada takes place each February in the colonial city of Granada and is Nicaragua’s best-known cultural event internationally. Founded in 2005, the festival brings together poets, writers, and audiences from Nicaragua and abroad for several days of readings and public events.
Activities are held across Granada, including public squares, theaters, churches, and cultural venues, with many readings open to the public. Events typically include poetry readings, discussions, workshops, and tributes, often presented in Spanish with translations or bilingual formats depending on the audience. A defining feature of the festival is its accessibility. Rather than being limited to academic or literary circles, readings are staged in open spaces and community settings, drawing large local crowds alongside visiting writers. Schools and universities often participate through special sessions aimed at students and young readers.
Over the years, the festival has hosted poets from dozens of countries and has helped establish Granada as a regional hub for literary and cultural exchange. February is one of the city’s most active cultural periods, with the festival placing poetry and spoken word at the center of public life for the duration of the event.
3. Palo de Mayo (May)
Palo de Mayo takes place in May in Bluefields, on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, and is the country’s most visible Afro-Caribbean cultural celebration. Events are held throughout the month, with music, dance, and public gatherings centered in the city and nearby communities. The festival is best known for its street performances and open-air dances set to Caribbean rhythms. Public spaces fill with live bands, dance groups, and informal celebrations, with much of the activity taking place outdoors during the evenings and weekends.
Costumes, parades, and dance competitions form part of the program, alongside food stalls and community events highlighting Caribbean-influenced cuisine. While the festival has strong roots in Creole and Afro-Caribbean traditions, it draws participation from across the region and is one of the most socially active periods of the year in Bluefields.
Palo de Mayo is closely associated with Caribbean cultural identity on Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast and stands apart from festivals held in the country’s Pacific cities. For visitors, May offers a chance to experience a different side of Nicaragua’s cultural life, with music and dance at the center of public celebrations throughout the month.
4. Fiestas Patronales de Santo Domingo (August)
The Fiestas Patronales de Santo Domingo take place in Managua each year from August 1 to August 10 and represent Nicaragua’s largest and most visible city festival. The celebrations honor Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the capital’s patron saint, and draw large crowds from across the country.
Two major processions bookend the festival. On August 1, the small statue of Santo Domingo is carried from Las Sierritas into central Managua in an event known as the Bajada. On August 10, the statue is returned to its original home during the Subida. Both processions are accompanied by traditional dancers, marching bands, musicians, and fireworks, with streets lined by spectators along the route.
Between these dates, Managua hosts daily activities that include street parties, concerts, fairground rides, food stalls, and informal neighborhood celebrations. Music and dance dominate much of the program, and many events continue late into the night. Religious devotion and large-scale public celebration run side by side throughout the ten days, making early August one of the most active periods of the year in the capital.
5. La Purísima / La Gritería (December)
La Purísima and La Gritería take place in December and are among Nicaragua’s most popular public celebrations. Events take place all over the country, with particularly active celebrations in Managua, León, and Granada. La Purísima refers to the days of devotion leading up to December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, while La Gritería marks the main night of celebration. On that evening, people move through neighborhoods visiting home altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary, singing traditional chants and receiving small gifts such as sweets, fruit, or drinks from hosts.
Streets fill with groups of families, friends, and neighbors calling out the traditional question and response honoring the Virgin, creating a lively and communal atmosphere. Fireworks, music, and informal gatherings accompany the altar visits, turning residential areas into shared public spaces for the night.
La Purísima and La Gritería are notable for their scale and accessibility, involving entire communities rather than a single venue or procession. In December, these celebrations are a defining feature of Nicaragua’s public calendar and one of the country’s most distinctive religious traditions.
Other Events Worth Knowing About
Sanctuary Music Festival (March)
A community-focused music and wellness event held at TreeCasa Hotel in San Juan del Sur on March 20th, featuring live performances and activities centered on mindfulness and creative expression.
Crab Soup Festival (August)
A food-centered Caribbean celebration highlighting traditional crab soup, Afro-Caribbean music, and community gatherings in the Caribbean Corn Islands.
Fiesta de San Jerónimo (late September–early December)
Masaya’s largest patronal festival, peaking on September 30, with traditional dances, processions, and cultural events that continue for several weeks.
Wrapping Up
Nicaragua’s events calendar reflects a strong emphasis on public participation, whether through neighborhood-based religious celebrations, nationally visible festivals, or regionally distinct cultural gatherings. Many of these events take place in shared outdoor spaces and rely on community involvement rather than formal venues, giving them a scale and atmosphere that feels grounded in everyday life. Experiencing Nicaragua during these moments offers insight into how music, food, devotion, and celebration continue to shape public culture across different parts of the country.
