Popayán has a mild Andean climate at 1,760 metres: daytime temperatures around 18–22°C year-round, nights as cool as 8–10°C. There are two drier periods — December to February and June to August — separated by two rainier ones. Even in the wet seasons rain tends to come in afternoon bursts rather than all-day deluges.
Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the city's biggest event by far, and one of the most elaborate in the Catholic world. UNESCO has inscribed the processions on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The streets fill every night from Tuesday to Saturday with heavy pasos — wooden floats depicting the Passion — carried on the shoulders of cargueros. Book accommodation months in advance.
The Festival de Música Religiosa, the second-oldest sacred music festival in the world, runs concurrently. The other notable event is the Congreso Gastronómico each September, when chefs from across the Americas converge on the city.