After a very rainy summer in the capital, August arrives in Mexico City with a mélange of world-class documentary photography and emerging artists from Tepito. If you’re not much into art or photo exhibits, do not fret! Kids’ summer courses in the chinampas and the best of performative arts will be up this month to enjoy with the whole family. So pack your umbrellas and sunscreen! Here’s what’s on in Mexico City in August 2025.
World Press Photo 2025
The world’s leading international photojournalism competition returns once again to its home venue, the Franz Mayer Museum. For the 68th edition, the awarded photographers from around the globe were tasked with addressing several political, cultural, and climate-related conflicts. Out of roughly 59,320 documentary photographs, only 42 works were selected this year.
Date: Aug. 1 to Sept. 28
Location: Franz Mayer Museum. Av. Hidalgo 45, Centro, Cuauhtémoc.
Cost: 100 pesos for adults; 60 pesos for students, teachers and seniors
Gabriel Orozco: Politécnico Nacional
For the first time in almost 20 years, the Jumex Museum brings together an ambitious solo exhibition by Mexican multidisciplinary artist Gabriel Orozco. Born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Orozco has always been fascinated by objects and materials of everyday life, which confer “the possibility of giving materiality to time.” The exhibition features 300 works from throughout Orozco’s artistic career, “from small sculptures to complex installations, between photography and drawing, accompanied by painting, sculpture, assemblages and games.”
Date: Runs until Aug. 3
Location: Museo Jumex. Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Granada, Miguel Hidalgo.
Cost: Free of charge
From the heart of the barrio. Tepito: deep roots, resonant voices
Beyond being a “barrio bravo,” Tepito is one of Mexico City’s most emblematic cultural districts — and it resonates with the voices of its emerging artists. This comes to show in “Desde el corazón del barrio,” a group exhibition that brings together more than 20 artists “who live, create, or maintain close ties to the Tepito neighborhood.” With over 80 pieces in various formats, the exhibition aims to highlight artistic practices linked to a historically stigmatized community, reclaiming its heritage and present through art.
Date: Runs until Aug. 3
Location: Galería José María Velasco. Peralvillo 55, Morelos, Cuauhtémoc.
Cost: Free of charge
Mayotzincuepa circus festival
Le Monastère, a cabaret company based in Montreal (Canada), starred in the opening show of the Mayotzincuepa Circus Festival. Spectators will enjoy aerial dance performances, clown acts and thrilling circus shows in several locations across town. As the inaugural event, the program has created high expectations among theater connoisseurs and performance artists as one of the largest performing arts programs this year.
Date: Runs until Aug. 4
Locations: Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris, FARO Cosmos and open-air theaters in the Iztacalco, Magdalena Contreras and Tlalpan boroughs
Cost: Free of charge
A summer among chinampas
In an effort to preserve the chinampera tradition in Xochimilco, over 500 years old, the Chinampaxóchitl Museum will host a summer course for children. Designed for ages 7 to 13, kids will learn about “the natural and cultural importance of the Xochimilco lake area and the chinampa zone,” said the museum in an Instagram post. The course includes four sessions, in which children will enjoy fun activities as they learn about the history and cultivation techniques used in the chinampas today.
Date: Aug. 5-9
Location: Museo Chinampaxóchitl at Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco. Periférico Oeriente 1, Ciénaga Grande. Xochimilco.
Cost: Free of charge
Watch Itatí Cantoral’s ‘Juicio a una zorra‘
Mexican actress and cabaret performer Itatí Cantoral returns to the theaters with one of the “most challenging performances of [her] career,” according to TimeOut México. Staged and directed by Alonso Íñiguez, this provocative monologue portrays Helen of Troy, the eternally condemned woman from Homer’s Iliad, with a new voice. Inspired by gender struggles and critically examining how the Trojan princess has historically been condemned, Juicio a una zorra rewrites the myth from a female voice filled with fury and dignity.
Date: From July 20 to Aug. 31
Locations: La Teatrería. Tabasco 152, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc.
Cost: Entrance fees may vary
Cri Cri symphonic concert
“El Ratón Vaquero”, “La Muñeca Fea” and other fan favorites will fill Sala Nezahualcóyotl concert hall this August. Performed by the Minería Symphony Orchestra, this concert will be an opportunity to hear the classics of maestro Francisco Gabilondo Soler, a Mexican composer and singer known for his children’s songs, as actor Mario Iván Martínez, nationally renowned for his children’s books readings, sings iconic Cri Cri pieces.
Date: Aug. 9 & 30
Location: Sala Nezahualcóyotl. Insurgentes Sur 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán.
Cost: Tickets starting at 400 pesos
Natsu Matsuri Festival 2025
Organized by the Mexico-Japan Association (AMJ), the Natsu Matsuri Festival is the capital’s yearly opportunity to taste genuine ceremonial matcha and try regional street food. Translated from Japanese as “summer festival,” the event features fashion runways, a culinary bazaar and tea ceremonies.
Massive drums and yukatas, Japan’s iconic ceremonial suit, will prance across the Natsu Matsuri Festival runway this year. Sipping on a delicious sample of traditional jasmine tea or Sapporo beer, spectators will enjoy a display of Bon Odori, the traditional dance of Japan. So, fetch your best kimono and stroll across Fujiyama Street to live your geisha fantasy at the Natsu Matsuri Festival.
Date: Aug. 16-17
Location: Fujiyama 144, Águilas, Álvaro Obregón.
Cost: Workshop fees may vary
The Jazz Room: Journey to the Heart of New Orleans
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in CDMX?! Not exactly. Some excellent interpreters will come, though. Along with some cocktails and improv sessions, The Jazz Room comes to town after being a hit in Madrid, Barcelona and Santiago City. The ensemble will take us straight to the 20s in NOLA, birthplace of this iconic genre, to bring back the golden age of jazz.
Date: Aug. 16
Location: Hilton Santa Fe. Antonio Dovali Jaime 70, Santa Fe, Cuajimalpa.
Cost: Entrance fees vary
42nd Mexico City Marathon
As August comes to an end, runners from across the country will compete to beat their personal records on the Telcel Mexico City Marathon. As one of the major sporting events in the capital this year, the event is expected to attract thousands of runners. As stated by the Mexico City Government, the 2025 route will start on Avenida Insurgentes Sur, between the Central Library and the Olympic Stadium, and finish in the capital’s Zócalo.
Runners will enjoy iconic landmarks of Mexico City, including UNAM’s Olympic Stadium, the Angel of Independence, the Diana the Huntress roundabout and the Monument to the Revolution, among others.
Date: Aug. 31
Location: Follow the official route here
Cost: 800 pesos for Mexicans and residents and US $110 for foreign athletes
Andrea Fischer contributes to the features desk at Mexico News Daily. She has edited and written for National Geographic en Español and Muy Interesante México, and continues to be an advocate for anything that screams science. Or yoga. Or both.
