Guatemala City will inaugurate the annual Feria de Jocotenango on Saturday, 9 August, launching nine days of religious and cultural celebrations dedicated to the Virgen de la Asunción. The event will run through 17 August along Avenida Simeón Cañas and the adjacent Hipódromo del Norte, which are being transformed into a pedestrian corridor lined with food stalls, games and live music. Local merchants are preparing for an influx of thousands of visitors. Luis Castellanos, owner of Lotería La Huasteca, said the fair is key to preserving national traditions, while veteran vendors such as Pancha Salazar, who has sold traditional sweets for more than four decades, and Susana Samayoa, offering garnachas, molletes and atoles, expect brisk business. Brenda Lissette López Monzón, who has sold devotional candles outside the nearby Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción for 44 years, also anticipates strong attendance.