Outings and excursions · Castro
Chilote Traditions Festival: Castro celebrates the customs of Chiloé
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Pit-cooked curanto, milcao, crafts, music and farm work every February in Castro’s Municipal Park, with free admission.
Every February, Castro opens its Municipal Park to show how people live, eat and work in Chiloé. The Chilote Traditions Festival was born in 1979, when a group of residents set out to value the island’s traditions, and today it is the great festival of the Chilote summer. It is organized by the Municipality of Castro together with neighborhood associations, local groups, the fire brigade and sports clubs, and since 2024 it bears the name of Alfredo Hernández Ojeda, one of its founders.
What to taste and see
- The cuisine of Chiloé: pit-cooked curanto, milcao (potato bread), chochoca, roast lamb, licor de oro and mistelas (local liqueurs).
- A crafts fair, with work in wood, plant fibers and wool.
- Traditional music and dances on the main stage.
- Demonstrations of farm work and crafts, such as sheep shearing, saddlery, basketry and the making of tejuelas (wooden shingles).
When it takes place
It is held over a weekend in February in Castro’s Municipal Park. In 2026, the 45th edition took place on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22. Admission to the park and the festival is free. The date of each edition is announced by the Municipality of Castro.
Make the most of your visit to explore Castro: the colorful stilt houses of the Gamboa neighborhood and the San Francisco church, one of the churches of Chiloé declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. See accommodation in Castro.
Getting there
From Puerto Montt, take Route 5 to Pargua and cross the Chacao Channel by ferry, in about 30 minutes; Castro is about 170 km from Puerto Montt. Mocopulli airport is about 20 km north of the city.
