Festival Internacional de la Canción (International Festival of Song)

Viña del Mar is the host city of this annual music festival held annually and considered the most important musical event in Latin America. The 2012 festival included appearances from Diego Torres, Camila, Marc Anthony and Morrissey. It covers all sorts of genres, but most commonly folk and pop. It's run by Chilevision – one of the main TV channels and is a well organised glamorous event.

Venue: Viña del Mar.
Website: http://www.chilevision.cl

Santiago Festival Internacional de Cine

'SanFic' as its generally known is beginning to rival the he festival in Buenos Aires. Producers, directors, actors, critics and film lovers all congregate at showings, talks and workshops throughout the week-long festival. There are two major competitions, an international one and one specifically for Chilean films.

Venue: Various cinemas.
Website: http://www.sanfic.com

Semana de la Chilenidad (National Week)

A week of nationalist celebrations and parades encompassing Independence Day on 18 September. This is when Chile gets to dress in traditional clothes and bring out their inner gaucho. It's also when real gauchos, farmers and Mapuche can show off their horse skills and prize cattle. There are events throughout the city and you'll see stalls, typical food, traditional games and dances, rodeos and folk events. The biggest events happen at the Parque Padre Hurtado.

Venue: Parque Padre Hurtado, Francisco Bilbao 8501.
Website: http://www.semanadelachilenidad.cl

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead or All Saints Day)

This religious national holiday is a day to celebrate the saints, but also to remember ancestors. The best place to see the celebrations and remembrances is to head for the remarkable necropolis, the Cementerio General de Santiago. Here, families light candles, lay flowers and maintain a vigil over the tombs. More than a million people can visit the cemetery on this day.

Venue: Cementerio General de Santiago.

Festival de Primavera

This is the largest music festival in Chile and sees participants from across the globe as well as some of Chile's finest musicians. The 2012 festival saw acts such as Pulp, The Walkmen, Dinosaur Jr, Jose Gonzalez, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, as well as Astro and Francisca Valenzuela across the three stages.

Website: http://primaverafauna.cl/2012/info/

Viña del Mar Film Festival

The well established Viña del Mar Film Festival is Chile's most important festival of the kind. Since 1963, it has built its credibility as a well organised and friendly event. Most of the work is from Chile and Argentina and includes shorts, feature films and documentaries. It takes places across the venues in Viña del Mar, especially the Teatro Municipal and Sala Cine Arte.

Venue: Various.
Website: http://www.cinevina.cl

Festival Internacional Santiago a Mil

This is an international theatre festival attracting a colourful cross-section of high-profile and fringe theatrical acts. The main events take places in theatres and cultural spaces around the city, but the open air, public works are considered just as important. There is a range of shows for children, as well as international acts performing in English.

Venue: Various venues.
Website: http:// www.stgoamil.cl

Easter (Semana Santa)

Semana Santa is an important time throughout Latin America, with religious ceremonies and processions taking place throughout the week from Palm Sunday through until Easter Sunday. On each day there are specific rituals and processions through the streets. In Chile the tradition of 'Cuasimodo' extends a week beyond Easter. The procession careers through the streets stopping only to enjoy copious amounts of food, drink and music.

Venue: Throughout Chile.

Ñuñoa Jazz Festival

The Ñuñoa district of the city hosts a winter weekend jazz event, featuring the best of national jazz acts with a bit of blues thrown in for good measure. Much of it is held around the Casa de la Cultura and in Plaza Ñuñoa outside. It's a great venue that has seen musicians play in since 1857.

Venue: In and around the Teatro Municipal de Ñuñoa, Avenida Irarrazaval 1564, Casa de la Cultura de Ñuñoa, Avenida Irarrazaval 4055, and Plaza Ñuñoa.
Website: http://www.ccn.cl