Welcome to La Tirana, population 600 – except during the annual La Tirana festival, when the tiny village welcomes as many as 250,000 visitors. The vibrant week-long celebration mixes Catholic and indigenous traditions: the village and its main event take their name from an Inca princess-warrior known as 'La Tirana' (the Tyrant).

The festival is usually celebrated from July 10, during all those days the dances dance non-stop day and night, different celebrations and rites are held in the sanctuary until July 15 arrives, the day that all the faithful they wait because "La Víspera" is being celebrated. Mass that is celebrated in the Plaza de la Tirana and that summons more than 200,000 faithful who come to venerate the Virgen del Carmen. When the clock strikes 00:00 on July 16, fireworks explode and the party reaches its peak in music, dance and songs to celebrate the birthday of the chinita. After the celebration of the wait on July 16, the dances in the sanctuary greet the Virgin singing El alba. After the dawn greeting, the bailen wake up dancing and dancing in the streets of the town, so that on the morning of July 16 in the Plaza de la Tirana celebrate the descent of the Virgin from her dressing room with thousands of ribbons the color of the Chilean flag that covers the square and after that celebrate the mass on the day of the party with different political and ecclesiastical authorities to then celebrate the procession with the image of the Virgen del Carmen through the main streets of the town, where thousands of dancers and faithful sing and express their faith to the Virgen del Carmen for more than 8 hours. Once the procession is over, the religious dances say goodbye until next year, farewells that last until July 19 where the closing mass is celebrated with the Blessed Sacrament in the temple.