Visitors to Lima do not need a calendar or a weather forecast to know: summer has arrived to the capital of Peru and playground on the South Pacific. The energy is nearly tangible, from the moment one steps onto the streets. Summer sweeps through Lima like a fever, and an almost instantaneous city-wide wave can be felt. Like a catalyst in a laboratory, the first week of strong sunshine and gloriously long days has residents bubbling over with excitability.

Traffic patterns reflect the weather patterns, as locals ditch their car keys in the junk drawer and bring out the beach cruisers for their daily transportation. Electric ride-share scooters have found a happy home in the city where you never have to travel too far, and bike lanes are plentiful. Don’t be surprised if you catch a multi-tasking summer warrior heading down to the beach on a scooter with a surfboard under their arm!

The resident parakeets in Lima know it is their time to shine, and birdsong greets the morning commuter. When our feathery friends hit the hay to rest for their early morning performance, local musicians take the stage on street corners and plazas (and sometimes city intersections themselves!) for spontaneous concerts around the city.

The art scenes in Barranco and La Punta, Callao are in stiff competition, as both have matured over the last couple of years into world-class hubs of creativity. From networks of street art and murals that provide eye-candy around every corner, to high-end galleries and local designers, artists have turned their bohemian homes into artful destinations. Fantastic restaurants and bars have moved in as a result, and these neighbourhoods embrace the summer as if it were a significant other gone for far too long.

Lima’s parks are as iconic as the oceanside cliffs they are perched upon, and they have already begun filling up with eager picnickers and dog-moms and dads. (Atemporal Hotelito has perfected the picnic basket, so be sure to request a lunch-a-la-lawn if staying at the chic hideaway). The city’s green spaces are connected into a network of parkland that can be walked along the coast for kilometres, and residents waste no time getting back on track.

Parasailers swoop and soar over the yachters below, both living their best summer lives. The ecstatic summer energy brings a special brand of holiday cheer to Lima. For a few fleeting months, cares are easily suspended and a universal youth hits the city. Viva la summer!