Creole Music has suffered from influences of the international music. Hip Hop, Reggaeton, Salsa, Rock, Pop, Cumbia, and Chicha have all weakened the Creole of Peru, but at the same time it’s still very much alive. For a taste of Peruvian Creole music, interested parties should head down to the III Encuentro de Centros Musicales (3rd Meeting of Musical Centres), where a number of musicians will demonstrate their skills in the Creole musical tradition. The event begins at 7.00pm and it’s free for anyone to attend.

An interesting fact is that, of course, October 31 is also Halloween. Nowadays those two fiestas co-exist in Peru and both are celebrated together. One of the most popular Halloween costumes is seen in Cusco’s main square, the Plaza de Armas: the festive costume of the Negroide, the Afro-Peruvian celebrated in Creole Music.

On the 31st of October in many cafes, bars and restaurants all over Peru you will only hear Musica Criolla. Orquests of creole music, with their guitars and the wooden box drums called the (creole) “cajon”, work extra hours on this day. The most well-known representatives of the Peruvian creole music are Bartola, Eva Ayllon and Chabuca Granda.

Apart from in bars and restaurants you will hear Creole Music on TV and radio stations all day long. Creole Music is very important in the life of Peruvians. It stands for tradition, nostalgia and love. It is the music of their parents and grandparents. In many institutions, such as schools and companies special activities will take place during this day. Children dress up like the Afro-Peruvians of the coast. They are the symbols of the coastal creole style that has become typical for Peru.

Here is a beautiful example of Creole songs:

This feast is celebrated between February and March, for almost a month people live a colorful environment surrounded by dances, talc, serpentines and especially much water.

In the central day, the main celebration takes place in the Plaza de Armas of the city of Cusco, where various public and private institutions come to dance, with the rhythm of dances such as the Cusco carnival, gang and others surrounded by local people, as well as visitors enjoy this festivity.

Well we can not leave aside the gastronomy, on this date the dish that reigns at the tables is the exquisite boiled or Puchero made from meat of lamb, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, peaches, moraya, rice, corn and leaf cabbage; also the delicious mashed of beans accompanied by zetas (a typical fungus of the serranía of our Peru) is elaborated. But all this would not be perfect if it is not accompanied with the delicious frutillada, drink elaborates with chicha de jora, strawberry and cinnamon.