Running through Dec. 30, Mexico City’s annual Christmas Verbena at the Zócalo entertains visitors with a wide array of Christmas events.
A verbena refers to a public outdoor party in honor of a saint, religious figure or holiday where the community can enjoy music, food, and drinks in a festive atmosphere.
This year’s Christmas Verbena commenced with the lighting of colorful Christmas decorations on Dec. 17. The event, which drew hundreds of residents to Constitution Plaza, also known as the Mexico City Zócalo, was led by Mayor Clara Brugada and other city officials.
Holiday lights illuminated buildings around the plaza, including the National Palace, Old City Hall and the Grand Hotel of Mexico, among others. Additional decorations include a tunnel of hundreds of lights, three monumental Christmas trees made up of over 6,000 poinsettias or nochebuenas, and a gigantic Nativity scene featuring Iztapalapa’s monumental Niño Dios (baby Jesus).
This baby Jesus, also known as the the Child of Peace and Good, was handmade in 2013 by the Gómez Reséndiz family of artists and sculptures in the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa. It has toured the country over the last decade and is now a major attraction at the Christmas Verbena.
A Christmas bazaar has also been set up by the local government, where over 250 artisans from different parts of the country sell their products. The bazaar, dubbed Artisans at Heart, features everything from piñatas to Nativity sets, clothes and various types of traditional handmade crafts. Food stalls selling Mexican delicacies have also been set up at the Zócalo.
Furthermore, the Verbena offers free musical shows featuring 56 artists from Mexico and abroad, including Regina Orozco, Los Tecolines, La Perla (Colombia), Los Mirlos (Peru) and others.
The Verbena will feature daily shows and live performances, including traditional pastorelas — Nativity plays that often feature a bit more humor than their English-language counterparts.
Mexico City’s first annual Christmas Verbena was in 2019, replacing the ice rink that had formerly graced the Zócalo during the holidays. This year, all boroughs of Mexico City feature an ice rink free of charge during the holidays.
Upcoming Christmas Verbena concerts
As part of the festivities, the Zócalo will host various live music performances in upcoming days, including:
- Guatemalan feminist rapper Rebeca Lane: Dec. 21 at 8:15 p.m.
- Los Tecolines (bolero genre): Dec. 22 at 7 p.m.
- Colombian vocals and percussion ensemble La Perla: Dec. 22 at 8:15 p.m.
- Singer/actress Regina Orozco: Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
- Mexican-American flutist Elena Durán: Dec. 24 at 3:45 p.m.
- Los Mirlos (Peruvian psychedelic cumbia): Dec. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
- Ronda Bogotá, formerly led by Celso Piña (cumbia): Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
- Chetes (Rock en español): Dec.28 at 9:30 a.m.
- Austin TV (progressive rock/instrumental): Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
