Carnaval Encarnaceno
Carnaval · Encarnación, Paraguay
The festival
The Encarnaceno Carnival is Paraguay's largest festival: every weekend in January and February, the corsos d'Encarnación, capital of Itapúa opposite Argentina, fill the Sambódromo of Centro Cívico — 12,000 places — installed since 2014 between the Costanera and Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia Avenue.
Five historical club matches (San Juan, Pettirossi, Nacional, Universal, 22 de Setiembre) and two district carrozas competed, an hour to cross the track, judged on their allegories, queens, muses and bandes. In 2026, the carnival celebrated its 100th edition, organized by the Asociación Club de Clubes and declared of national interest by Senatur. Sambódromo also houses, under the official palco, a museum of Carnival.
Good to know
100th edition in 2026; declared of national tourist interest by Senatur.