Special events happen every month in San Miguel de Allende, and January and February are no exception. Between the end-of-year holidays and before Semana Santa (Holy Week, from March 29 to April 5), San Miguel will host an impressive lineup of concerts, exhibits, plays, neighborhood art walks and public presentations, from the humorous to the serious.
A sampling of these events is detailed below, but first, take a look at some unique artwork gracing the city at two related venues through the end of the month.
The Namuh furniture galleries in Centro and on Camino a Alcocer past the Liverpool department store are featuring, through the end of this month, portraits by Greg Mayer built with painted LEGO and other plastic bricks.
Portraits by Greg Mayer
Mayer buys these plastic pieces by the kilo and paints them in shades of grey and a few other colors to create portraits that resemble optical illusions that are clear from a distance but pixelated up close.
Mayer, who lives in San Miguel and Arizona, said he chose to show his work here to honor “the beauty and dignity of the Mexican people” he observes in his daily life.
“The people at the bus stop, in the mercado and throughout the countryside,” he explained. “I have a deep respect for the quiet strength and grace present in everyday moments, and the work began as a way to honor that in my own home.”
Mayer said he’s drawn to faces that tell a story, and that his favorite is the one he’s currently working on.
“Some of the larger works take months to create, so by the time I’m finished, that piece had better be my favorite,” he said.
One of his favorite portraits, “La Sanadora” (“The Healer”), was prominently featured and quickly sold at the exhibit, which opened Oct. 31, 2025. Namuh owner Cecilio Garza described a “huge turnout” that evening, which he called “very unusual for an unknown artist in San Miguel.”
Mayer, humbled by the enthusiastic response to his work, hopes to have another exhibit here after he returns this spring. For now, you can see his work until the end of January at Namuh’s two locations: at Cuna de Allende 15 and at Camino a Alcocer, Km. 2.2.
Water-related murals unveiled
“Dialogues with Mother Earth,” an environmental art collaboration between San Miguel artist Erica Daborn and the nonprofit clean-drinking-water organization Caminos de Agua, is coming to the Camino al Arte artists’ colony outside San Miguel in the town of Atotonilco on Jan. 15 and 16.
On Jan. 15 from 5–7 p.m., Camino al Arte will host an opening presentation, an artist talk and an exhibition of two of Daborn’s large-scale charcoal murals inspired by prehistoric cave drawings and socially engaged art. The murals will also be on display there on Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The two events are free and open to the public. Daborn’s new book, “Dialogues with Mother Earth,” will be available to purchase and can be signed by the artist. All proceeds go to support Caminos de Agua’s mission to provide access to safe water in Central Mexico.
Camino al Arte is located at Antigua Via S/N in Atontonilco, Guanajuato.
Winter orchid workshop
A winter orchid workshop will be held Jan. 16 and 17 at the Casamada Hotel Boutique. Information on the care and uses of the Cymbidium orchid in landscaping and gardens will be presented. Each workshop costs 1,750 pesos and includes a brunch, study materials and a Cymbidium orchid to take home. Reservations are required.
The Jan. 16 workshop takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Jan. 17 workshop takes place from 10 a.m. to noon. Space is limited. Reserve your spot by calling +52 (415) 125-4050.
Casamada Hotel Boutique is located at Potranca 16 in the Guadiana neighborhood.
Plays and staged readings this month
Two one-act plays by local playwright Roger M. Williams are coming to the Teatro Santa Ana theatre in San Miguel’s La Biblioteca in Centro on Jan. 16 and 17.
“Gone!” is a humorous look at a U.S. tourist who gets lost in a Spanish city, and the other is entitled, “Me? A Traitor?! Iconic Gen. Robert E. Lee Confronts His Life and Deeds.” Marjorie Burren directs both and the local cast includes Burren, Frank Simons, Rick Franz and Josefina Valentini.
Admission is a 275-peso donation. Tickets are available at the theater box office. The Santa Ana Theater and its box office are located inside La Biblioteca at Insurgentes 25 in Centro.
At the Jewish Cultural & Community Center, veteran actors Fil Formicola and Alan Jacobson will be featured in a staged reading of Harold Pinter’s one-act play, “The Dumb Waiter,” on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. The community center is located at Calle de Las Moras 47 in the Allende neighborhood.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Donation information is available here.
Andrew Paxman at PEN
British biographer and historian Andrew Paxman, author of the recently published “Mexican Watchdogs: The Rise of a Critical Press Since the 1980s,” will discuss “Who’s Really Murdering Mexican Journalists?” on Jan. 20, at the Jewish Cultural & Community Center, Calle de Las Moras 47 in the Allende neighborhood.
Tickets for the event, taking place at 6 p.m., are 350 pesos. It is part of San Miguel PEN’s winter lecture series, which supports threatened journalists and local literary projects.
Robert Burns Supper
The fifth annual Robert Burns Supper, held to honor Scotland’s most famous poet, returns to The Restaurant in Centro at 6 p.m. on Jan. 21. In keeping with Burns’ heritage, the meal will include haggis, roast beef with all the trimmings (vegetarian and gluten-free options upon request), wine and whisky. Entertainment will include bagpipes and a Scottish sing-along.
Tickets are US $125 and benefit the EEESMA School for the Deaf in San Miguel. More information is available via email here.
Two art walks
Visit local artists’ home studios during the free Guadalupe Art Walk on Jan. 24 and 25 in the neighborhood, which is home to galleries and San Miguel’s mural art district. Paintings, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media will be on hand for browsing and purchase.
The art walk takes place on both days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Email here for more information.
Meanwhile, dates for the annual San Antonio Art Walk have been announced. It will be happening this year on Feb. 21 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the San Antonio Art Walk is free.
More information will be available in the February community roundup.
Candelaria Horticultural Fair
Parque Zeferino, on the northern edge of the city, will be packed with regional growers and vendors selling flowers and plants during this year’s annual Feria de la Candelaria, which opens Jan. 30.
As always, the fair will feature a huge variety of trees, plants and cacti for sale, as well as pots and gardening tools. There will also be free music, dancing and other performances going on each day.
The Feria de la Candelaria runs through Feb. 13. Admission is free.
Live blues at Cent’anni
Local favorites the Craig Caffall Blues Band is playing at Cent’anni Restaurant in Centro on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. The show is part of the year-long series of performances associated with the San Miguel International Jazz and Blues Festival.
Tickets for the Cent’anni show are 600 pesos in advance at the restaurant or 660 pesos online here. Cent’anni is located at Canal 23.
Tickets going fast for the Writers’ Conference
Premium all-events passes to the internationally known San Miguel Writers’ Conference in February are nearly sold out. So don’t wait if you have plans to attend this week-long conference for writers, aspiring writers and book lovers alike.
The 21st annual conference kicks off Feb. 11 and runs through Feb. 15 at the Hotel Real de Minas. This year’s conference features keynote addresses from authors Abraham Verghese, Maira Kalman, Rebecca Kuang, Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil and Emily St. John Mandel and poet Andrés Neuman.
Panel discussions, workshops, readings and receptions play a major role in the conference, which expects thousands of attendees, including writers, editors, agents and, of course, readers.
More information can be found here.
Cathy Siegner is an independent journalist based in San Miguel and Montana. She has journalism degrees from the University of Oregon and Northwestern University.
