The Entrada del Gran Poder is La Paz's biggest annual celebration, a street procession in honour of the Señor del Gran Poder (Lord of Great Power) that takes over the city on the last Saturday in May or first Saturday in June. Over 40,000 dancers in elaborate costumes move through the streets from the Cementerio General area to the San Francisco neighbourhood, accompanied by brass bands, drums, and wind instruments in a rolling performance that goes on for most of the day and into the night.
The dances are specific and traditional — morenada, caporales, tinkus — each with its own costume, history, and meaning. The morenada originated among enslaved Africans brought to work Bolivia's silver mines, the caporales reference the foremen who supervised them, the tinkus re-enact a ritual battle. Watching from the street is free; raised stand seats are sold in the weeks before. Book accommodation well in advance if you're coming specifically for Gran Poder — the city fills up.