Spending Christmas in Latin America in 2025 is no longer about the weather or prices—it’s about culture. More and more travelers see December as an opportunity to dive into living traditions, sit down at tables where the recipe matters as much as the history, and walk through celebrations that weren’t designed for tourism but embrace it wholeheartedly.
This region offers something that other destinations have lost: a Christmas that goes beyond decorations, one that expresses itself on the streets, in the markets, in the kitchen, and through faith. From beaches where dinner is served under 35°C to Andean cities where the cold calls for thick chocolate, these ten destinations summarize the diversity of a season that is felt with the whole body.
Rio de Janeiro, Celebrating Under the Sun Without Apologies
Rio embraces its Christmas with no contradictions. December is summer, and life moves outdoors. In 2025, the return of the floating tree in Lagoa will turn the city into a nighttime meeting point once again. It’s not just a glowing structure; it’s a social magnet. Families, couples, and groups of friends mingle around the water as the city extends its nights.
During the day, the celebration spills over into Copacabana and Ipanema, where the beach becomes an impromptu family room. Winter iconography persists indoors, creating a contrast that, far from being forced, defines Rio’s character.
Eating Portuguese Tradition in a Tropical Climate
The culinary immersion in Rio requires abandoning thermal prejudices. The chester takes center stage at the table, accompanied by cod prepared in multiple ways. Sweet, aromatic rabanadas end the night, complemented by fresh tropical fruits. Eating these dishes in the heat doesn’t feel out of place—it’s part of the experience.
Gramado: When Christmas Becomes a Prolonged Ritual
Gramado doesn’t celebrate Christmas for just one day; it creates a whole season. In 2025, the Natal Luz (Christmas Light) will unfold as an experience spread across weeks, featuring parades, water shows, and a city transformed into a stage.
Here, immersion begins long before the trip. Booking months in advance is part of the process. Those who arrive don’t just attend an isolated event; they step into an ongoing narrative that unfolds through walking, eating, and observing.
Eating as a Collective Act
The café colonial is the gateway to local gastronomy. It’s not just about breakfast; it’s about sharing abundance. Dozens of dishes come one after the other at a leisurely pace. Fondue, despite the weather, remains a tradition, while the galeto served in a rodizio style brings a taste of the southern Italian heritage.
Cusco: Christmas Built Piece by Piece
Cusco’s Christmas centers around just one day. Santuranticuy, on December 24, transforms the Plaza de Armas into an ancestral market where people buy figures, moss, and altars for their home nativity scenes.
The Niño Manuelito, the Andean representation of Baby Jesus, is the symbolic core. Dressing it each year is an intimate, deep act. For the traveler, immersion happens when they realize that here, decorations aren’t bought—they are built by hand.
Flavors That Warm the Night
Roast pork dominates Cusco’s table. Local tamales and moraya accompany a dish meant to be shared. Panetón and thick hot chocolate keep the cold at bay, and chicken broth appears at dawn as a silent end to the celebration.
Cuenca: Faith That Is Lived and Eaten
In Cuenca, Christmas is a moving experience. The Pase del Niño Viajero (Traveler’s Child Procession) turns the historic center into a massive parade where there are no passive spectators. Everyone walks, sings, observes, and participates.
Carriages, dances, and traditional characters march for hours. The city surrenders to a celebration where faith is expressed in color and sound.
Gastronomy as a Fulfilled Promise
During the procession, food is shared as an act of devotion. Chicha de jora is distributed freely. Hornado with mote and llapingachos nourish bodies and conversations. Here, eating is also a gesture of belonging.
Medellín: Entering the Light
Medellín has turned Christmas into an immersive urban experience. In 2025, the Christmas lights will once again fill the river and parks with monumental structures designed to be walked through.
The lighting ceremony on December 7, linked to Día de las Velitas (Day of the Candles), triggers a deeply local celebration. The city is walked at night, without haste, sharing space with locals and visitors alike.
Sweets That Tell a Story
Natilla and buñuelos define the taste of December in Medellín. The desamargado adds contrast. And for those looking for a louder experience, the chiva rumbera turns the ride into a traveling party.
San Juan: Christmas That Surprises at Dawn
Puerto Rico offers one of the most immersive Christmas experiences in the region. Parrandas aren’t announced—they just happen. Groups of friends arrive singing at homes, enter, eat, and continue together to another home.
Accepting a parranda means accepting a radically different hospitality.
Cooking as Part of the Journey
Roast pork, arroz con gandules, and pasteles are prepared as a family before the celebrations. Coquito is bottled and gifted. For the attentive traveler, participating in these preparations reveals the heart of Puerto Rican Christmas.
Oaxaca: Art That Lasts as Long as the Night
Oaxaca condenses its Christmas into one unique event. The Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes) transforms the city center into a gallery of vegetable sculptures that exist for just hours.
To see them is to accept the ephemeral as a value.
Eat and Break to Begin Again
Buñuelos soaked in honey are eaten and then broken on clay plates to make a wish. Moles, tamales, and romeritos complete a table deeply connected to the land.
Bariloche: Summer, Mountains, and Long Tables
Bariloche celebrates Christmas with long days and cool nights. The lighting of the tree in the Civic Center marks the start of the season, but the experience extends outdoors.
Slow-Cooked Gastronomy
Patagonian lamb on the grill takes center stage. Trout and smoked meats open the table. Artisan chocolate and sweet bread close an experience that combines landscapes and flavors.
San José: Family Tradition in Green Key
San José starts the season with the Festival of Light, a parade that marks the symbolic start of December. The city celebrates calmly, under clear skies.
The Tamalada as a Social Experience
Preparing tamales as a group is an essential part of Costa Rican Christmas. Eating them throughout the month reinforces the communal spirit of the celebration.
Antigua Guatemala: Fire to Cleanse the Year
The Quema del Diablo (Burning of the Devil) starts the season with a powerful gesture. Then, posadas fill the streets with lanterns, music, and gatherings.
Tamales and Punch as Nightly Shelter
Tamales colorados and negros concentrate a complex tradition. Hot punch accompanies the cool nights and perfumes the colonial city.
Traveling for Christmas 2025: A Conscious Choice
These ten destinations show that Christmas in Latin America is not a uniform product. It’s a sum of living rituals, shared tables, and celebrations that invite participation.
In 2025, traveling in December is not about escaping winter or seeking spectacle. It’s about accepting a cultural invitation and understanding that in this region, Christmas is not observed from the outside. It’s lived from within.
Photo of the portrait: Depositphotos
