Horacio Cambeiro · CC BY-SA 4.0Encarnación Carnival
Feathers, drum troupes and dance groups in the Sambadrome: Paraguay’s “summer capital” throws the country’s biggest carnival.
What it is
With more than a century of history (the first recorded parade dates from 1916), the Encarnación Carnival is the most famous in the country. Every summer Saturday the comparsas (carnival dance troupes) parade through the Sambadrome (the Municipal Civic Center, which holds about 12,000 people) with floats, feathered and sequined costumes, batucada drummers and carnival queens, while the crowd arms itself with spray foam and an urge to dance. By day the city offers beaches on the Paraná River, a lively riverside promenade, and the Jesuit missions of Trinidad and Jesús just a few kilometers away.
What to see and do
- Comparsa parade in the Sambadrome
- Batucada drummers and feathered costumes
- Paraná River beaches by day
Tips
Tickets are sold on tuti.com.py and the official website; there are general-admission areas and tables, and the final nights usually sell out. Book your hotel months ahead. Bring glasses or goggles if you want to keep the foam out of your eyes.
Dates may shift to the nearest weekend.
What to see
Encarnación · Itapúa
Encarnación
The Pearl of the South: riverfront promenade, river beaches, carnival and the perfect base for the Jesuit missions.
Encarnación · Itapúa
Costanera y playas de Encarnación (San José, Mbói Ka'ẽ y Pacu Cuá)
Miles of promenade and sandy beaches on the Paraná: this is the capital of the Paraguayan summer.
Encarnación · Itapúa
Carnaval Encarnaceno (Sambódromo de Encarnación)
Paraguay's biggest carnival: comparsas (parade troupes), feathers and drumming every Saturday in January and February.
Encarnación · Itapúa
Puente Internacional San Roque González de Santa Cruz
Two and a half kilometers of bridge, train included, to cross the Paraná to Posadas.
Festivals and events here
Natsumatsuri, Encarnación Japanese Summer Festival
Taiko, dances and Japanese food on a summer night hosted by Encarnación’s Nikkei (Japanese-descendant) community.
Heritage communitiesEncarnación, ItapúaAugWRC Rally del Paraguay
The World Rally Championship races on the red-dirt roads of Itapúa, based in Encarnación.
SportEncarnación y Colonias Unidas, ItapúaFeaturedDecFeast of Our Lady of Itacuá
The shrine on the banks of the Paraná welcomes thousands of the faithful from southern Paraguay on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
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Mass at the cathedral and a procession of the Virgin through the city center, merging with the celebrations of the city's founding.
Patron saintEncarnación, ItapúaFeaturedResearched and reviewed in September 2026 with 3 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.