If there's one thing about me you should know- its that I will rarely ever turn down the opportunity for a fun party. I have always been (and expect to always will be), a party girl at heart. I love dressing up and going out and dancing the night away- its seriously my favorite past time. One of the best parties I went to this year was in Cusco, Peru, at the fabulous boutique hotel Fallen Angel. Today's post continues my Peru Travel Diaries from the summer, with my experience at this Inti Raymi party that only occurs once a year!
One of the main reasons for going to Cusco over the summer was to attend the annual Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun. The festival is a celebration to the Incan God, Inti, and people come from around the world to participate in the festival which takes place every year on June 24. I have a post in the reserves to discuss the actual festival- which was an amazing experience- but I wanted to kick off my experience with Inti Raymi the way it occurred for me- with a night long party.
In the days leading up to the Inti Raymi festival, the city turns upside down with events, tourists, and celebrations. Earlier in the day, there was dancing, singing and a parade through the Plaza de Armas which I luckily got to witness. While I knew we had plans for the evening before the festival, I had no idea what we were doing except for the hint that I needed a party dress from my step-mother, Moza, who had made the plans and kept it a surprise until we were about to leave our hotel.
Fallen Angel is a boutique guest house and restaurant that is artful and quirky, and right up my alley. The guest house is decorated with the artwork of local artists and is like something from an odd dream- murals and angels hanging from the ceiling, bathtub tables with goldfish swimming around, and complete and utter whimsy. I couldn't get over the decor here and consider this my highlight of Cusco. In celebration of the festival, Fallen Angel throws a crazy fun theme party every June 23 to welcome the festivities. This years theme was a wing party, meaning you could only enter if you had on some sort of wings. The wings varied from traditional angel wings (thanks to Moza for packing wings for me as part of the surprise), to people wearing hats, to DIY wings out of fabric from the local markets.
I can't say I've ever been to a party like this before- everyone there was open and friendly as if we all knew each other and had been lifelong friends. We danced the night away amongst all the wings and artworks that adorn the Fallen Angel atmosphere and took pictures with new friends who we'd sadly likely never see again. As the night drew later, the crazier the party got. The DJ was spinning fire tracks and the lights were pulsing around the dance floor and the massive statue that is a staple in the establishment. People's outfits got crazier as the night went on, too, and I wish I had gotten more pictures of the party-goers outfits. There were drag queens and go-go dancers stealing the scene and commanding the crowds attention. Even my dad was having a blast there in all the chaos, so you know it had to be a good party if your own dad is digging it!
Fallen Angel was such a cool experience and was the perfect entrance into the Inti Raymi festival, although I was exhausted after barely any sleep and a early wake up time for the festival! But it was so worth it. If you are ever in Cusco, you must add Fallen Angel to the top of your itinerary list- either for accommodations, the restaurant, or best of all- for one of their parties! They host 4 parties a year- the Inti Raymi Festival party on June 23, Peru's National Day on July 28, Halloween, and New Year's Eve.
Party on, friends.
XOXO
Blonde in the District