Giant Kite Festival of Sumpango — November 1 Tour

The Giant Kite Festival of Sumpango — November 1

Every year on November 1 — the Day of the Dead — the town of Sumpango, Sacatepéquez fills the sky with barriletes gigantes: hand-built kites up to 20 metres wide, made of bamboo and thousands of pieces of coloured tissue paper. Families here have flown kites over the cemetery for generations to honour their dead, and the festival has grown into one of Guatemala’s most spectacular cultural events — recognised as National Cultural Heritage.

Local legend says that on the night of November 1, restless spirits used to invade the cemetery and disturb the souls at peace. The wind rattling the paper of the kites, people found, drove the bad spirits away — and so the kites grew bigger, brighter and more elaborate every year, carrying messages from the living to the dead on their strings.

What you’ll see

• Giant exhibition kites — months of work by Sumpango’s kite-making collectives, each telling a story in paper
• Flying competitions, where teams launch multi-metre kites over the hillside
• The cemetery in full colour: marigolds, music and families celebrating their ancestors
• Traditional food stalls — fiambre, the once-a-year Day of the Dead dish, tostadas, atol and more

The details

• Date: November 1 only — one day a year
• Price: $49 per person
• Departure: 10:00 am from Tropicana Hostel, Antigua (meeting point)
• Included: Return transport from Antigua and a packed lunch — vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available

Spaces are limited and November 1 does not move — book early. Questions? Message us on WhatsApp +502 4313 3215.