Tuesday, January 20, 2026

León, Guanajuato, prepares for its annual 26-day party

León, Guanajuato, is getting ready to host the 144th annual State Fair, a 26-day celebration featuring concerts, shows, rides, gastronomy, sports and much more.

“The 2020 edition of the León State Fair will surprise with its grand display of spectacles, presentations and shows for national and international visitors,” said the head of the festival board, Juan Carlos Muñoz Márquez, at a press conference in Mexico City.

From January 10 to February 4, Palenque de León park will dazzle with events such as the show Destino: A Trip through Mexico, created exclusively for the fair by Mexican producers, which features acrobats from 17 different countries.

There will also be a concert by DJ Steve Aoki, among other attractions for people of all ages.

“The Secretary of Tourism and the municipality of León are making a joint effort to create a more accessible fair, a fair for the whole family that offers security and respect on the part of the people of León,” said Muñoz.

Federal Tourism Secretariat official Hilario Pérez León acknowledged the importance of the fair to tourism at the national level.

“The León State Fair has been put on since 1876 and in 2018 it was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guanajuato,” she said. “It’s also celebrating its 144th anniversary, consolidating its place among the three largest festivals in Mexico.”

Guanajuato state Tourism Secretary Teresa Matamoros Montes said the fair only gets better each year.

“It’s an event that’s strengthened and eagerly awaited by locals, which provides a wide cultural offering for all families . . . It is estimated that the fair will bring in 3 billion pesos (US $157 million) in tourism [revenues],” she said.

More than five million people are expected to visit the fair.

Special guest municipality will be San Miguel de Allende, while Tamaulipas and Japan will be special state and country guests.

Other events that will complement the fair will be the traditional parade on January 20, which will be themed “The history of the movies,” as well as a spectacle on ice entitled Muzeo, soccer games, foot races and bicycle and motorcycle rallies.

Mexico News Daily

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