What is the Festival of Lights?
Every December since 1986, Villa de Leyva has opened Colombia's Christmas season with its most famous event: the Festival de Luces, or Festival of Lights. For one full weekend, the sky above one of Latin America's largest cobblestone plazas erupts with fireworks, and the entire historic center lights up to welcome visitors from across the country.
The heart of the festival is a fireworks and pyrotechnics competition: professional teams go head to head night after night with displays visible from practically anywhere in town and the surrounding countryside. The timing is no accident — the festival is anchored to two beloved Colombian traditions, the Día de las Velitas ("Day of the Little Candles," when families light candles at their doorsteps to open the Christmas season) and the feast of the Immaculate Conception, on December 7 and 8. The result blends religious celebration, the start of Christmas, and a full-blown town party.
It is easily Villa de Leyva's busiest weekend of the year. Press reports have quoted mayor's-office projections of up to around 100,000 visitors — figures worth taking with a grain of salt — but what is beyond dispute is that lodging sells out and year-end occupancy in town reaches roughly 95%.
When is it?
The festival runs on the weekend closest to December 7–8. The 2025 edition, for reference, took place December 5–7. Dates for 2026 have not been confirmed yet, so check the official channels of the Alcaldía (mayor's office) of Villa de Leyva before locking in transport — both the dates and the nightly schedule can shift from year to year.
The Alcaldía also publishes official safety restrictions on fireworks every year. The displays are handled by professional teams, and private use of fireworks is regulated — leave the pyrotechnics to the experts.
What each night is like
The exact program changes annually, but the rhythm is consistent: by day, the town runs like Villa de Leyva in peak season — busy restaurants, markets, a Christmas buzz along the cobblestone streets — and as night falls, all attention turns to the sky. The competition's fireworks displays are each evening's main event, and the main plaza and its surroundings become the natural grandstand.
One thing to know: the plaza fills up hours before the fireworks begin. If you want a good vantage point, arrive early, eat dinner ahead of time, and dress warmly. Villa de Leyva has mild days but cool nights all year round, and standing outdoors on a December evening, you will feel it. Bring a proper jacket, a hat, and something warm to drink.
Getting there and getting around
Villa de Leyva sits about 3 hours by car (roughly 165 km) from Bogotá; buses take closer to 3.5–4 hours. Buses leave from the capital's Terminal Norte and Terminal Salitre for approximately COP 40,000–45,000 — verify current prices and schedules, and book round-trip tickets early, because demand spikes hard on festival dates.
If you drive, expect road closures in the historic center during the festival, and parking near the plaza becomes scarce and hotly contested. Staying outside the center, somewhere with its own parking, spares you that headache entirely. Our getting here page covers routes and options in detail.
One local note worth knowing: in Colombia, national holidays are moved to Mondays to create three-day weekends called "puentes." When the festival lines up with one, the crowds multiply — see our guide to Colombia's long weekends in Villa de Leyva if your dates might overlap.
Practical tips
- Book weeks ahead. This is the first weekend of the year to sell out, town-wide.
- Arrive Friday if you can. The road from Bogotá clogs up on Saturday morning.
- Use the daylight hours. The shows are at night, which leaves mornings free for Casa Terracota, Pozos Azules, the fossil museum, or a side trip to the pottery town of Ráquira.
- Carry some cash. With the town at capacity, ATMs can run dry.
- Staying through the holidays? The season carries on after the festival — our Christmas and New Year in Villa de Leyva guide covers what to expect.
Where to stay for the Festival of Lights
The real question for this festival is not what to see — it is where to sleep. Stay in the historic center and you will have a front-row seat, but you will also be at the epicenter of late-night noise, dense crowds, and road closures, with parking near impossible.
Our recommendation: stay in the countryside, just outside the historic core. El Limonar is a private two-bedroom solar-powered cottage with free parking and a pet-friendly policy, only 5–10 minutes from the Plaza Mayor. That is close enough to get to and from the show without hassle — much of the fireworks display is visible from the countryside itself — and far enough to sleep in silence while the party carries on in town. And on a clear night, the Boyacá sky puts on its own show: see our stargazing in Villa de Leyva guide.
One caveat, repeated on purpose: for this particular weekend, book as far ahead as you possibly can.