Festivals & Holidays

Overview

Mexico has a fiesta somewhere almost every day of the year. Every town and neighborhood celebrates its patron saint with fireworks, music and processions, and on top of that come a handful of national celebrations that change how the whole country runs for a few days.

For travelers, festivals are the best and the hardest times to visit. You see a side of Mexico that ordinary weeks don't show, but hotels in the hot spots sell out months ahead and prices can double. Mexican families travel too, so buses, flights and beaches fill during Semana Santa, Christmas and long weekends (called puentes, or bridges). Banks and government offices close on some holidays, while most shops, restaurants and tourist sites stay open.

Below are the celebrations Americans ask about most, with how to see them well and respectfully, followed by a calendar and a table of the public holidays that close banks. For crowd levels and weather by month, see when to go.

2026–2027 calendar

Dates marked "expected" follow the event's usual rule but had not been officially announced as of October 2026. Confirm before you book anything non-refundable.

Día de Muertos

The Day of the Dead is when families welcome back the souls of their dead relatives for a short visit. It blends Indigenous traditions honoring the dead with the Catholic feasts of All Saints (November 1) and All Souls (November 2), and UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage. The mood is warm and social: families cook, clean and decorate graves, tell stories and spend time together, sometimes all night.

What it is, and what it isn't

Americans often assume it is Mexico's version of Halloween. The two fall on nearly the same dates and share skull imagery, and in big cities kids now dress up and go door to door on October 31 asking for their "calaverita." Underneath, the meaning is different. Día de Muertos is about remembering specific people with love, and the skulls are meant to be affectionate and satirical. It is also a private family observance first. The parades and face paint you see on social media are a recent, mostly urban layer on top.

The days and the altars

Traditions vary from village to village, but in much of the country the souls of children (angelitos) are welcomed first, arriving on the night of October 31 and celebrated on November 1. Adult souls are honored on November 2. Some communities begin earlier, with a day for those who died in accidents or by violence.

At home, families build an ofrenda (altar) with photos of the dead, their favorite foods and drinks, candles, copal incense, salt and water, sugar skulls with names written on them, pan de muerto (a sweet bread decorated with dough "bones"), cut-paper banners and masses of orange cempasúchil marigolds, whose color and scent are said to guide the souls home. The elegant skeleton lady you see everywhere, La Catrina, began as a satirical print by José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s and was given her name and full figure by Diego Rivera in a 1947 mural. Newspapers also publish calaveritas, funny rhyming epitaphs for living politicians and celebrities.

Where to see it

Other good options: San Miguel de Allende's and Guanajuato's citywide celebrations and altars (Guanajuato is Level 3; see the San Miguel page), and Mérida, where the Maya version is called Hanal Pixán and families make a large baked tamal called mucbipollo (Yucatán is rated Level 1, the advisory's lowest). In Mexico City, the giant alebrijes parade and the catrina procession come earlier in October (in 2026, October 17 and 25), so plan a longer stay if you want to see them too.

Cemetery etiquette

When you visit a cemetery on these nights, you are a guest at thousands of family reunions, and some of the people there are grieving a recent death. Most families are welcoming if you're respectful.

• Ask before photographing a grave or a family, and take no for an answer. Turn off the flash, and keep the phone screen low at night.
• Never step on graves, sit on them or touch offerings, candles or flowers.
• Keep your voice down and keep moving along the paths; don't plant yourself next to one family's grave.
• If a family invites you to sit or offers food or a drink, accept graciously, and offer something in return if you can, such as flowers or bread bought from local vendors.
• Skull face paint is normal at city parades. In village cemeteries, think twice; local families generally don't wear it.
• No drones, no tripods blocking paths, no trash left behind.
• Respect closing times and any areas marked off for local families only.
• Choose tours run by local operators that keep groups small and give back to the community.

Guelaguetza

The Guelaguetza is Oaxaca's great summer festival, when dance groups from the state's eight regions perform in traditional dress in an open-air amphitheater on the Cerro del Fortín above the city. Guelaguetza is a Zapotec word for reciprocal giving, and at the end of each dance the performers throw gifts of fruit, bread, hats and small crafts into the crowd.

Dates

The main performances, called the Lunes del Cerro (Mondays on the Hill), are held on the two Mondays after July 16. If the first Monday would fall on July 18, the anniversary of Benito Juárez's death, both move a week later. In 2026 they fell on July 20 and 27, with shows at 10:00 and 17:00 each day. By the same rule, the 2027 performances should be Monday, July 19, and Monday, July 26; the state government publishes the official program in spring. Around them, Oaxaca fills July with parades of the delegations, concerts, food and craft fairs and a mezcal fair.

Tickets

The two lower seating sections of the Auditorio Guelaguetza (palcos A and B) are paid. In 2026 they sold only through the official platform, Superboletos, with general sale opening June 1, and the good seats went quickly. Check which platform the state names for 2027. The upper sections (C and D) are free and first come, first served, and people line up before dawn. July is the rainy season, so bring a rain layer, sun protection and water, and arrive very early for the free sections. Oaxaca state is Level 2, with no extra restrictions on Oaxaca City.

Semana Santa and Easter

Holy Week is the biggest vacation period of the year for Mexicans, and the most important religious week in a Catholic country. In 2027 it runs from Palm Sunday, March 21, to Easter Sunday, March 28, with Holy Thursday (March 25) and Good Friday (March 26) as the key days. Schools usually close for about two weeks around Easter, covering Holy Week and the week after (Pascua), so the travel rush lasts about two weeks. Benito Juárez's birthday holiday on Monday, March 15, adds a long weekend just before.

• Beaches: Mexican families flood every beach town. Expect peak prices, full hotels, busy roads and crowded sand, especially from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday. Book flights and rooms months ahead, and see our beaches guide for quieter options.
• Processions: colonial towns hold solemn processions with penitents, statues carried through the streets and Passion re-enactments. San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca are good places to see them.
• Iztapalapa: Mexico City's Iztapalapa borough has staged a huge Passion play since the 1800s, ending with a crucifixion re-enactment on Good Friday before enormous crowds.
• Closures: banks and government offices close Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Archaeological sites and museums are usually open but crowded; see our ruins guide.

Carnaval

Carnaval is the blowout before Lent, peaking in the days before Ash Wednesday. In 2027, Ash Wednesday is February 10, so the main events fall in the week ending Fat Tuesday, February 9. Each city sets its own program, usually published a few weeks ahead.

Mazatlán

Mazatlán's Carnaval is one of Mexico's best known, with parades along the Malecón, the crowning of the Carnaval queen and king, concerts, and the Combate Naval, a fireworks show over the Olas Altas waterfront re-enacting the port's 19th-century defense against a French attack. The candidates for the 2027 courts were presented in October 2026, and the city's culture institute publishes the program on carnavalmazatlan.com.

Mazatlán is in Sinaloa, which the State Department rates Level 4, Do Not Travel. US government employees may visit Mazatlán only if they arrive by air or sea, and only within the historic center (from Avenida Gutiérrez Nájera to the ocean) and along the coastal Malecón from the historic center to Route 503, using direct routes to the airport or cruise terminal. Much of Carnaval takes place along that waterfront, but huge crowds and late nights add risk. If you go, stay in that zone, use hotel-arranged transport, and see our Pacific coast guide.

Veracruz and others

Veracruz's Carnaval fills the seafront boulevard between Veracruz and Boca del Río with parades, comparsas and music, opening with the burning of a figure representing bad moods and ending with the symbolic burial of "Juan Carnaval." The city sets its dates each year; check the official program before you book. Veracruz state is Level 2. Mérida (Yucatán, Level 1) and Cozumel (Quintana Roo, Level 2) also hold big, family-friendly Carnavals with parades and costumes.

Independence Day

Mexico's Independence Day celebrates the night of September 15–16, 1810, when the priest Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell of his church in Dolores and called on Mexicans to rise against Spain. Every year at about 11 p.m. on September 15, the president steps onto the balcony of the National Palace over Mexico City's Zócalo, rings the same bell and gives the Grito, shouting "Viva México" to a packed square. Governors and mayors repeat it in plazas across the country, followed by fireworks, music and food.

September 16 is the national holiday, with a military parade in Mexico City in the morning. The whole month is decorated in green, white and red, and it's the season for chiles en nogada, the stuffed poblano chiles in walnut sauce with pomegranate seeds. In 2027, September 15 is a Wednesday and the 16th a Thursday, which makes Friday a popular day to take off.

The Zócalo is jammed for the Grito, with security checkpoints and bag searches. If you go, arrive by early evening, carry little, and keep your phone in a front pocket. A smaller town plaza or a fonda with a TV is a more relaxed way to join in. Dolores Hidalgo, where it all started, celebrates in a big way; see the San Miguel page.

Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe

December 12 is the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron and its most powerful religious symbol. According to tradition she appeared to an Indigenous man, Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac in December 1531, and her image hangs today in the Basílica de Guadalupe in northern Mexico City, one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world.

In the days before the feast, millions of pilgrims arrive at the Basílica, many on foot or by bicycle from distant states, some on their knees for the last stretch. At midnight on December 11–12, crowds sing Las Mañanitas to the Virgin. Towns everywhere hold processions, Masses, dances and fireworks for their own Guadalupe chapels.

• Visiting: the Basílica is easy to reach by Metro (La Villa–Basílica station) or by app ride. On December 11–12 it is overwhelming; go a few days before or after for a calmer visit, and watch your pockets either way.
• On the road: through early December, groups of pilgrims walk and cycle along highways, often at night and with little lighting. If you're driving, slow down, especially near Mexico City.
• Closures: banks close December 12, which in 2026 falls on a Saturday.

Las Posadas, Christmas and Reyes

The Mexican holiday season runs from December 12 to February 2, with something to celebrate most weeks.

• Las Posadas (December 16–24): nine nights re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter. Neighbors process with candles, sing a call-and-response song at a door until they're "let in," then share ponche (hot fruit punch), tamales and a piñata, traditionally a seven-pointed star. Offices and families also throw posada parties all month.
• Noche de Rábanos (December 23): in Oaxaca City's Zócalo, artisans compete with elaborate scenes carved from giant radishes, a tradition over a century old. Lines are long; go in the afternoon.
• Nochebuena (December 24): the main celebration is Christmas Eve, with a late family dinner (bacalao, romeritos, turkey or pork) and midnight Mass. December 25 is quiet, and some restaurants close.
• Día de los Santos Inocentes (December 28): Mexico's version of April Fools' Day. Be skeptical of anything you read.
• New Year's Eve: many Mexicans eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for each wish, and some walk around the block with a suitcase to bring travel in the new year.
• Día de Reyes (January 6): the Three Kings bring children's presents in many families, and everyone shares a rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread with tiny plastic baby figures baked inside.
• Día de la Candelaria (February 2): whoever found a baby figure in the rosca hosts a tamal party. Families also dress figures of the baby Jesus and take them to church to be blessed. Tlacotalpan, a UNESCO-listed river town in Veracruz, holds its biggest fiesta around this date.

From about December 20 to January 6, beach resorts hit their highest prices of the year, and many Mexicans visit family in other cities. Book early. Banks close December 25 and January 1.

Concerts, festivals and sports

Concert tickets in Mexico sell through official platforms such as Ticketmaster México and are usually priced in pesos. Presales are often limited to holders of a particular Mexican bank's cards. For general sales, US cards usually work, though some buyers hit payment errors and need a second card. Resale sites and street sellers are where fakes turn up.

Public holidays and bank closures

Mexican federal labor law sets a short list of paid days off. Banks follow an annual calendar from the national banking regulator, which in recent years has added Holy Thursday, Good Friday, November 2 and December 12. On those days banks and government offices (including immigration and tax offices) close, but ATMs, card payments, shops, restaurants and most tourist sites keep working.

Every six years, October 1 is also a holiday for the presidential inauguration; the next one is in 2030. Around elections, many states and cities impose a ley seca, a ban on alcohol sales from the day before through election day, and some towns do the same for big festivals. Hotels and resorts usually keep serving their guests, but stores and bars may not.

For how holidays affect money matters such as exchange and ATMs, see our money guide, and for local manners at fiestas, churches and family events, our etiquette guide.