Mexican Festivals and Events

There’s never a dull moment in Mexico! Its culture includes more than 5000 traditional Mexican festivals and events celebrated each year. If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, why not take into account which ones are on offer while you’re there? It will make your trip even more special! Here we give you a month-by-month overview of the key cultural festivities that we recommend.

New Years Day

New Year’s Day is called Año Nuevo in Mexico. It’s a national holiday and most businesses and shops are closed, except for museums and archaeological sites. 

The best part though is New Year’s Eve which is celebrated in a very particular way, full of traditions and rituals to attract love and prosperity and leave all negativity behind for the new year.

The Three Wise Men’s Day

This marks the end of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Friends and family get together on 6th January, receive gifts and eat a special bread cake called Rosca de Reyes. It’s baked with a small doll inside that represents baby Jesus. Whoever finds it wins the duty to host a party and offer tamales and hot chocolate on February 2nd.

Monarch Butterflies Sanctuaries

After the January and February winter and into late March, more than 100 million monarch butterflies make their way north out of Mexico. You can experience this spectacular event in the central region of the country. It symbolises transformation, rebirth, and new opportunities. 

In a mesmerising display of ancient traditions and celestial alignment, thousands of locals and visitors alike come together, adorned in white, to celebrate the Spring Equinox at two iconic Mexican sites: the Teotihuacan Pyramids and Chichén Itzá.

The captivating event unfolds annually around the 20th and 21st of March, as nature undergoes its transformative shift from winter to spring.

This momentous occasion marks the precise instance when the Sun crosses the equator, signalling the commencement of the vernal season.

In Mexico Easter Sunday is a national holiday. Many workers take the whole week off because the Thursday and Friday before Easter are paid vacation days.

Most celebrations involve traditional dances with a unique set of events and religious parades. These include a performance of Jesus’ crucifixion in Mexico City.

The culinary landscape transforms during Easter, with fish and shellfish taking centre stage. From coastal regions to bustling city centres, families and communities indulge in a variety of seafood delicacies.

Bountiful seafood stews, grilled fish, and ceviche become staple dishes, reflecting not only the country’s diverse coastal influences but also the creativity of Mexican cooks in crafting flavorful, meat-free alternatives.

Empanadas with cheese serve as a delightful contrast to seafood-centric dishes, offering a savoury balance and a celebration of culinary diversity during this significant religious observance in Mexico.

The best of the Mexican and Latin American rock music scene perform at the Vive Latino Festival.

It’s an annual music festival held in Mexico City between March and April.

It’s one of the most important music festivals in Latin America, and the duration is either one or two days, depending on the number of live acts.

In other words, in terms of Mexican festivals and events, this is a big one!

Zicatela Beach is one of the beautiful beaches that make up the Oaxacan coast. Located southeast of Puerto Escondido, a short distance from the centre of town is a beach about 4 kilometres long and 30 to 40 meters wide. It has fine grey sand, and a steep slope, and is known for hosting the International Surfing Tournament.

To clarify, this is the country’s biggest surf competition. In May, June and July it has an ideal tide, good weather, laid-back local vibes, and up to 40-foot-high monster waves. This makes for a thrilling three-day competition involving Mexican and foreign professional surfers. Also, the perfect occasion to try out one of the region’s fish tacos!

Oaxaca’s biggest annual celebration gathers its surrounding regions towards its capital on consecutive Mondays at the end of July. The celebration centres around traditional costumed dancing, indigenous walking bands, parades, folkloric dances, and fairs that display crafts and local gastronomy.

The main event is a series of colourful and elaborate folkloric dances performed by dancers from different regions. Each dance reflects the specific identity, history, and traditions of the community it represents.

Aside from dancing, Guelaguetza also includes exhibitions of handicrafts, including pottery, textiles, woodwork, and jewellery, all painstakingly crafted by the talented artisans of Oaxaca. Visitors have the opportunity to purchase these unique artworks as souvenirs or gifts.

Tlaxcala’s most colourful event displays music and the best of its local and regional food scene. It includes a month of festivities, the best-known being “The Night that Nobody Sleeps”.

It’s a celebration where the streets of this magical town are decorated with six kilometres of beautiful sawdust rugs. These depict multicoloured flowers and are created by the residents.

At midnight there is a procession with the image of the Virgin Mary (Virgin of Charity), the patron saint of the celebration.

For those who enjoy attending large parties, the month of September is the ideal time to travel to Mexico. The entire nation of Mexico holds a celebration every year to commemorate its independence from the Spanish colonial authority.

Beginning at the beginning of September, seasonal foods and beverages will be available for purchase. On September 15th, the entire nation celebrates with a party that lasts all night long!

Pozole is likely the dish that most exemplifies the Mexican national holidays’ most recognisable qualities.

It is a festive pork stew that is extremely rich, and it is served with a variety of condiments such as onions, cabbage, limes, avocados, and chillies.

The cultural event being referred to is the renowned Festival Internacional Cervantino (Guanajuato International Cervantes Festival), named after Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote.

It is held in Guanajuato, a colonial city in central Mexico, and spans for about a week in mid-October.
The Festival Internacional Cervantino is one of the most significant and highly anticipated cultural events in Mexico. It brings together artists, musicians, dancers, theatre groups, filmmakers, and intellectuals from around the world to celebrate the arts in all their forms: film, music, theatre, dance, literature, and visual arts.

Nestled in the vibrant heartbeat of Mexico City, the annual music festival, held on the 14th and 15th of November, stands as a celebration of artistic diversity and creative expression. This spectacular event transcends boundaries, spotlighting the best talents in both local and international indie music scenes. As the festival unfolds against the backdrop of Mexico City‘s cultural tapestry, it becomes a melting pot of rhythms, melodies, and beats that resonate with the soul.

Drawing in a massive crowd of over 100,000 enthusiasts, the festival transforms the city into a hub of musical fervour. The vibrant performances offer a unique blend of genres, from indie rock to electronic beats, creating an electric atmosphere that captivates attendees. As the sun sets over the eclectic gathering, the cityscape is transformed into a dynamic canvas of sound and emotion.

Chicken Mole Recipe

Mexico’s most well-known celebration, Day of the Dead, is probably the event with the most symbolic importance.

Each year, during the first two days of November, millions of Mexican families set up colourful altars for those in their families who have passed away. They decorate the cemeteries with flowers, and then spend the night there.

They believe that the dead come back for one night to the world of the living to spend time with their loved ones.

It’s a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the central and southern regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere.

Mole is one of the most important dishes whipped up during the Day of the Dead.

It’s a traditional Mexican sauce, that is usually poured over meat and is made from dried chillies, nuts, warm spices, raisins, other sweet fruits and tomato. 

Starting on 16th December, thousands of families follow the Posadas tradition. Family and friends gather with food and piñatas to mark the beginning of Christmas.

You will find a procession of children with lit candles and traditional songs sung by the adults.

Not to mention delicious sweets and treats that people gorge on whilst listening to stories about the Lord.

The best places to enjoy this festival would be any small village in Mexico, as they light up like little villages from fairy tales. Tamales is a traditional dish made by families during Posadas.

It represents the bringing together of family and friends to share in a labour of love, assembling and rolling dozens of tamales to be enjoyed by the entire neighbourhood.

Tamales play an integral part in the Posadas as they are often prepared and shared as a symbolic representation of hospitality and unity. Making tamales during this time is a collaborative effort where family members and friends gather to participate in the process. It is a way of coming together and reinforcing the sense of community and togetherness.

The process of making tamales is a labour-intensive activity that involves preparing the masa (corn dough), filling it with various ingredients such as meat, cheese, or vegetables, and then wrapping it in corn husks.

This process requires multiple hands to assemble the tamales and make them in large quantities, making it a perfect dish to share during the Posadas.