Independence Day

July 28 commemorates José de San Martín’s public proclamation of Peru’s independence in Lima in 1821. The act followed the signing of an independence declaration and was repeated in several city squares. It became the symbolic centre of Fiestas Patrias, but it did not immediately end royalist power. War continued in Peru until the campaigns of Junín and Ayacucho in 1824 and the final surrender of Callao’s fortress in 1826.

The anniversary combines state ritual with family and popular celebration. Peru’s flag appears on buildings and streets, the president delivers the annual address to Congress on July 28, and municipalities, schools and cultural institutions organise programmes. Music, dance and food reflect the coast, Andes and Amazon rather than a single national style. The date can celebrate sovereignty while inviting discussion of Indigenous, Afro-Peruvian and regional participation in independence.

Article 6 of Legislative Decree 713 lists July 28 and 29 as the two paid Fiestas Patrias holidays. Both remain on their calendar dates. July 28 is the proclamation anniversary; July 29 has its own guide for the Great Civic-Military Parade and recognition of the armed forces and police. Practical public events and the presidential programme should be checked annually because venues, routes and security arrangements can change.