There are fairs, festivals and even firefly shows to keep people occupied around the country next month and even a rather late edition of one of Mexico’s most famous versions of Carnival for fans of the flamboyant celebration.
Sports fans should also look ahead to the Los Cabos Tennis Open in Baja California Sur, which is from August 1-6. There’s a range of packages available and tickets for single days start at 550 pesos ($27). The ATP event welcomes the world’s highest ranking men’s player, Russian Daniil Medvedev; U.S. serve maestro John Isner and No. 9 ranked Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
• San Juan del Río Fair, San Juan del Río, Querétaro (Now-July 3)
A local festival with traditional events including cockfighting, bullfighting, equestrian shows and fairground rides, but also a modern cultural offering with documentary screenings and music of varied genres: ska, reggae, rock, rap and others, and folkloric dances.
Tickets for concerts in the palenque stadium start at 400 pesos (US $20). Artists include banda outfit Los Tucanes de Tijuana and pop singer Napoleón, who found fame in the 1970s.
Each day has a different theme, including youth, disability, environment, water, business, sport, farming, health and family, children, seniors, Women’s Day, and a day for the arts. General entrance costs 60 pesos (US $3) before 6 p.m. and 100 pesos (US $5) thereafter.
• Viewing of the Fireflies, Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala (Now-August 14)
For those looking to connect with the natural world, the spectacle of fireflies lighting up the nighttime forest for mating season will return to the Firefly Sanctuary in the town which has become famous for its luminescent insects.
• GNP Paax Festival Classical Music Festival, near Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo (June 29-July 3)
A new classical music festival conceived by renowned Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra will feature over 100 international artists at the Hotel Xcaret Arte near Playa del Carmen from June 29 to July 3.
Events include two concerts every night at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. as well as presentations of books, chamber music and talks with the creators. Tickets for a single concert start at US $50 (Coral Pass) while a package for five nights at the festival and hotel accommodation starts at US $2,240 (Manta Ray Experience), but shorter packages are also available.
De la Parra said the name “paax” comes from the word for music in Mayan and is phonetically the word for peace in Latin.
• Veracruz Carnival, Veracruz city (July 1-5)
The roots of Veracruz Carnival extend back to colonial times and it was first held in 1866. The celebration in its current form began in 1925, when the first organizing committee and the parade-style festival as it is now known were created.
Expect dance troupes, baton twirlers, drum groups, floats and squads of costumed characters. There will be parades from Saturday through Tuesday: Monday will be free, Tuesday will cost 40 pesos (US $2), while Saturday and Sunday will cost 100 pesos ($5). The festival normally takes place before Lent at the end of February, but was rescheduled to take place in July this year.
• Ultra-Marathon of the Canyons, Guachochi, Chihuahua (July 8-10)
The 25th Ultra-Marathon of the Canyons will take place at the Sinforosa Guachochi Canyon in the heartlands of the Rarámuri, an indigenous group famed for their prowess in distance running. There are distances of 10, 21, 63 and 100 kilometers, with respective participation costs of 650 ($32); 750 ($37); 1,650 ($81.50) and 1,750 pesos ($86.50). To reserve a place click on the distance you’re interested in to be directed to a checkout page.
• Flutist Elena Durán’s Concert for Paul McCartney’s 80th Birthday, Mexico City (July 14)
One of the world’s top flutists, Elena Durán, has played for esteemed guests, including Queen Elizabeth II and the British Royal Family. She also recorded a hit single with other British royalty — the Beatles’ own Paul McCartney, and is putting on a concert to coincide with McCartney’s 80th birthday, and in dedication to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the Teatro de la Ciudad (City Theater) in Mexico City. Durán will be joined by the Edgar Ibarra Trio to play some of McCartney’s most famous hits. Tickets start at 300 pesos ($15).
• Marlin and Tuna Fishing Tournament, Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit (July 14-16)
Tackle and bait at the ready for the marlin and tuna fishing contest in Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit. The organizers are promising big prizes for winning boats, which can be teams of up to four people. There’s a registration fee of 20,000 pesos ($1,000) for each team to take part. There are cash prizes of up to 150,000 pesos (almost $7,500) as well as trophies and high quality tequila. The three day event, when on dry land, is based at the Paradise Village Hotel Marina on the Nayarit coast.
• Jornadas Villistas, a Celebration of Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Parral, Chihuahua (July 14-22)
There’s an element of fun to the Jornadas Villistas returning to Parral, Chihuahua, where the city’s favorite son, bandit come revolutionary general Francisco “Pancho” Villa, is celebrated. Events include a huge meetup of bikers, a horse parade, a reenactment of Villa’s assassination and a contemporary circus. There are also concerts starting from 135 pesos ($6.50) to see banda outfit Los Sebastianes, Lila Downs, who combines pop and traditional forms, rapper Santa Fe Klan and Gloria Trevi, who has been called “The supreme diva of Mexican pop,” among many others.
• Saltillo Fair, Saltillo, Coahuila (July 14-August 7)
Saltillo’s annual festival returns. There’s a lot on offer for kids with a dinosaur exhibition, circus performances, a funfair and cowboy shows. The concert line up is banda and norteño heavy, but also includes local ska band Inspector, members of the Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club and Mexican singer Flor Amargo, who crosses many genres. Entrance costs 70 pesos ($3.50) and there are 2×1 tickets on Mondays and Tuesdays. Seniors and disabled people can enter for 40 pesos ($2).
• Durango Festival, Durango city (July 15-31)
Durango’s festival, known as Fenadu, is back. Performances will come from many of the big names on the festival circuit, like Julión Álvarez, Banda MS and Bronco, as well as rock soloist Siddhartha, Colombian singer Juanes and Mexican rapper Alemán. Funfair rides, circus shows and the coronation of the beauty queen accompany the full range of traditional festival activities.
• Wine Harvest and Grape Treading, Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro (July 16-August 14)
There’s free entry from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to the La Redonda vineyards for the annual grape treading, part of the process to turn the fruits into juice ready to be transformed into wine. Anyone who attends will be asked to take their shoes off and help crush the grapes. There will be entertainment too, with live music and wine tasting and plenty of opportunities to learn about how wine is made.
• Lagos de Moreno Festival, Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco (July 28-August 14)
The attractive Magical Town Lagos de Moreno in Jalisco brings back its annual festival this year. There will be performances from clowns, ranchera and pop music performances, among other genres, and a whole separate lineup of kids entertainment. It’s a local affair, but still a great opportunity to visit an often overlooked Magical Town, about midway between San Miguel de Allende and Guadalajara.
• Mexico City Half Marathon, Mexico City (July 31)
Lace up your sneakers to join 25,000 runners for the Mexico City Half Marathon. The route starts on Reforma Avenue for roughly half of the almost 22 kilometer track, before the second half takes the runners through Chapultepec Park and finishes at the Angel of Independence statue. To register for the event the price is 500 pesos ($25) for Mexican nationals and $65 for non-Mexicans, and an online sign up is required. All runners pick up an attractively designed medal for participation.
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