San Francisco de Yare

Carnival Dates: June 16, 2022 Just inland from the Venezuela’s Caribbean capital, a 300 year-old religious tradition is also one of the most spectacular carnivals around the world. Los Diablos Danzantes is exactly that – devils dancing through the town of San Francisco de Yaré on the day of the Corpus Christi feast. This Afro-indigenous celebration commemorates Venezuela’s origins, and it’s so culturally significant that it’s protected as a UNESCO Cultural heritage event. The keepers of the festival, the Societies of the Holiest (Sociedades del Santísmo), are the oldest brotherhood in the Americas. These 11 societies plan all of the festivities, and each dresses their Devils in bright colors and hideous masks before parading them through the streets in festival song and dance as a tribute to their ancestors. If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten-track, true cultural experience, Los Diablos Danzante is the carnival celebration for you.