The National Piracaldo Festival in San Antonio, a city about 20 kilometres from Asunción, has been recognised by international food guide TasteAtlas. The Paraguayan event is included among the world’s featured food festivals for August. The Paraguayan celebration appears alongside renowned culinary events from Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and Chile. TasteAtlas, known for its interactive map of traditional dishes and widely shared global food rankings, highlighted the festival as one of the month’s notable gastronomic events.
The sixth edition of the festival will take place on Sunday, 2 August 2026, from 08:00 to 19:00, at the historic Ex Hotel site in San Antonio, Central Department. More than 30 exhibitors from across Paraguay will serve fish-based specialities. Visitors can enjoy live music, cultural performances, cooking demonstrations, and the festival’s signature competition to crown the best piracaldo.
Celebrating a riverside culinary tradition
Piracaldo, literally meaning “fish broth” or “fish soup”, is one of Paraguay’s most representative riverside dishes. Traditionally prepared in cast-iron pots over an open fire, it combines fresh river fish with vegetables and local seasonings. The recipe has been passed down through generations in fishing communities and has become a symbol of identity.
Founded in 2019, the National Piracaldo Festival was created to establish San Antonio as a gastronomic destination. Since then, attendance has grown steadily, surpassing 10,000 visitors during last year’s edition. The event has also been declared of National Cultural and Tourism Interest and forms part of Paraguay’s official tourism route.
The recognition continues a series of recent acknowledgements from TasteAtlas for Paraguay, following Vori Vori‘s consecutive titles as the world’s best soup. Also, the inclusion of Paraguayan cuisine among the world’s top 100, and now the National Piracaldo Festival.
Competition and family entertainment
In addition to dozens of traditional fish dishes, visitors will be able to sample tasting portions before purchasing full meals. Complete dishes will be available from ₲20,000 (approximately US$3.30), while tasting portions will cost ₲10,000 (approximately US$1.6). Admission is ₲10,000, with parking available for ₲20,000.
The festival welcomes families and pets, offering recreational spaces, artisan stalls, fresh fish sales, and live culinary demonstrations. Organisers say the celebration aims not only to promote piracaldo but also to preserve San Antonio’s fishing heritage and strengthen the city’s cultural identity through gastronomy.
