STORY: Tens of thousands of dancers filled the streets of La Paz on Saturday (August 1) for the folkloric parade honouring the Lord Jesus of Gran Poder (the Great power), one of Bolivia's largest cultural celebrations.

This year's edition brought together 74 dance fraternities and approximately 87,000 dancers after being postponed twice due to social unrest and road blockades, according to event organizers.

The procession began at dawn and continued into the early hours of Sunday, featuring prominent traditional dances including the prestigious Morenada, characterized by elaborate costumes and oversized masks representing colonial-era African slaves, and the athletic Caporales, derived from Afro-Bolivian heritage with cascading bells on boots. Other featured dances included Tinku, a ritualistic warrior dance simulating pre-Columbian combat, Llamerada, honouring Altiplano llama herders, and Kullaguada, representing Andean textile weavers.

The festival, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2019, blends Andean Catholicism with Indigenous traditions and draws participants from Bolivia, Peru and Chile. Bolivian authorities estimate the celebration generates around millions in economic activity, benefiting sectors from costume making to tourism, according to official figures.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF MORENADA DANCE

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 01, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOT)

2. VARIOUS OF TINKU DANCE

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DANCER, KAREN MITA, SAYING:

"Our culture, our folklore, are unique in the world and today we are experiencing this festival that took quite a while to arrive, but it has come here so that all Bolivians and all people from around the world can know what we are in our hearts and in our essence."

4. VARIOUS OF LLAMERADA DANCE

5. VARIOUS OF KULLAGUADA DANCE

6. VARIOUS OF CAPORALES DANCE

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DANCER, JOHN SANDY, SAYING:

"For us, the Gran Poder means a lot of faith and devotion, enthusiasm, affection, peace and strength, because we dance in the Gran Poder because we like to represent the Caporal dance, in this festival that is also the heritage of the entire nation. I've been dancing for 35 years now!"

8. VARIOUS OF DANCERS