Festival of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The patronal festival in honor of the Most Holy Virgin of Perpetual Help is the most crowded devotional event of the northern border. Although the official calendar of the festival spans from September 1st to 15th, the commemorative activities, such as the proclamations and pet blessings, begin in the last week of August, with September 8th as the main day. The devotion dates back to 1913, when the missionaries León and Mauricio introduced a canvas from Paris that entered through Puerto Pizarro.

The religious dimension, marked by rigorous novenas, sung masses and flower-carpet processions, coexists in harmony with profane and recreational activities: the "Miss Zarumilla" pageant, inter-institutional five-a-side football tournaments, motocross competitions, grand social dances at the "24 de Julio" stadium, parades of allegorical floats and folkloric festivals celebrating traditional dances.