FESTIVALS AND EVENTS IN MAY
National Fair of San Marcos
Dates: April 18 to May 10
Location: Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
This is the largest and one of the oldest fairs in Mexico, attracting over 8 million visitors each year.
The event spans over 90 hectares with areas specially adapted for various activities.
Highlights include the San Marcos Island, also known as "The Family Place," featuring a beautiful artificial lake, diverse gastronomic offerings, mechanical rides, commercial areas, a large zip line, and the most notable livestock exhibition in Latin America.
The People’s Theater, with a capacity of up to 20,000 spectators, presents various free evening shows.
There is also a "Club Zone (Zona de Astros),” considered the largest in the country, with various themed nightclubs offering different music genres.
The Monumental Bullring hosts top bullfighters for all bullfighting enthusiasts.
Additionally, there are spaces for various artistic expressions such as music, painting, theater, dance, sculpture, and cinematography.
Puebla Fair
Dates: April 23 to May 10
Location: Puebla, Puebla
The Puebla Fair is part of the celebrations commemorating the Battle of May 5th and is one of the country's most important celebrations. It features high-quality shows in its two forums: the Artistic Forum and the Palenque.
At the Civic Cultural Center 5 de Mayo in the Forts area, a wide variety of artistic, gastronomic, and cultural activities are presented, along with mechanical rides and various shows.
National Donkey Fair
Date: April 26 to May 1
Location: Otumba, State of Mexico
A unique fair where the donkey is the main attraction. Events include donkey races, donkey polo, and a contest for donkeys dressed up as political and entertainment figures.
There is also a burrodrome, mechanical rides, agricultural expo, craft and tourism pavilion, theater, and cultural events.
The event also features a craft exhibition and a gastronomic showcase with typical regional dishes such as barbecue, mixiotes, and curado pulque.
The fair concludes with a grand dance featuring a prominent guest artist.
May Festivities Manzanillo
Date: April 30 to May 6
Location: Manzanillo, Colima
The festivities include a beauty pageant, Palenque, horseback riding, sports and cultural events, commercial, craft, and gastronomic expos, fireworks, and aquatic events, as well as Palenque shows with nationally recognized artists.
Nogales Flower Fair
Date: April 30 to May 17
Location: Nogales, Sonora
The festival offers: community theater performances, a Palenque, sports, artistic and cultural events, amusement rides, and commercial, handicraft, and gastronomic areas.
The event also includes a parade along Obregón Avenue featuring school honor guards and colorful floats.
Feria Nacional del Café Coatepec
Date: April 30 to May 10
Location: Coatepec,Veracruz
The festival pays tribute to the region’s coffee-growing tradition with exhibitions, cultural events, music, gastronomy, family activities, and the promotion of coffee as a symbol of local identity.
May Festivities Pénjamo
Date: April 30 to May 11
Location: Pénjamo, Guanajuato
The festivity includes a wide variety of events and attractions, starting with a commemorative parade for Children's Day featuring colorful floats.
The event also includes: the crowning of the queen, a cultural rally, musical performances, sports and cultural events, commercial, livestock, and handicraft expos, traditional dances, and much more.
National Ice Cream Fair (Feria Nacional de las Nieves)
Date: May 1 to 3
Location: Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato
In the main square of this Magic Town, more than 20 ice cream producers, cooks, and artisans gather to showcase their products.
Traditional and exotic ice cream flavors are offered, such as borrachita, angel kiss, shrimp, tequila, cheese, beer, pitaya, xoconostle, cappuccino, pork cracklings, avocado, and corn, among many others.
The festival includes artistic and cultural events, as well as workshops on making ice cream and masks from recycled materials.
Tabasco Fair
Date: May 1 to 10
Location: Villahermosa, Tabasco
One of the most important fairs in southeastern Mexico. Parque Tabasco hosts the event, which includes livestock, gastronomic, and musical presentations.
It features mechanical rides, a fashion show, multiple artistic and cultural events, and the traditional election of the Flor de Tabasco or the fair queen.
The Palenque and theater present top-level artist performances.
Feria Nacional del Libro de León (FENAL)
Date: May 1 to 10
Location: León, Guanajuato
The fair aims to encourage and promote reading and culture, with the participation of exhibitors, teachers, writers, artists, and more.
Visitors can purchase a wide variety of books, interact with authors, and enjoy different artistic and cultural performances.
Feria de la Barbacoa
Date: May 1 to 15
Location: Av. de la Noria and Prolongación Ignacio Aldama, Xochimilco, Mexico City
This event brings together more than 80 exhibitors offering traditional dishes such as misione, goat, birria, and of course, barbacoa.
It also features cultural activities, a handicraft exhibition, an educational farm, and a children’s rodeo.
Expo Feria de la Guayaba Juárez
Date: May 5 to 10
Location: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
The streets fill with music, joy, and color during this festival honoring Saint Philip of Jesus, the city’s patron saint.
This celebration has been held for more than 100 years and is an agricultural festival that honors the guava harvest.
This celebration includes mechanical rides, a commercial pavilion, a gastronomic and craft show, as well as a circus and local theater.
Additionally, there are cultural events and art exhibitions.
San Isidro Metepec Fair
Date: May 1 to 17
Location: Metepec, Estado de México
This Magic Town is filled with joy during the fair, featuring a theater, mechanical rides, craft and gastronomic expos, an international pavilion, and sports, artistic, and cultural events.
Additional attractions include a haunted house, animatronic dinosaurs, and an educational farm.
La Paz Fundation Festival
Date: May 2 to 5
Location: La Paz, Baja California Sur
This celebration commemorates the founding of the city on May 3, 1535. Many events take place along the city's Malecon.
The event includes singing, dance, theater, music, cinema, and photography activities, as well as performances by prominent artists.
Some cultural activities continue until May 31.
5 de Mayo
Date: May 5
Location: Nationwide
This day commemorates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. General Laurencez, leading French troops, ordered an assault on the Forts of Loreto and Guadalupe defended by the Mexican army under General Ignacio Zaragoza. The invaders were repelled and pursued by the Mexican cavalry.
Today, it is celebrated across the country with civic ceremonies.
National Cheese and Wine Fair
Date: May 7 to May 24
Location: Tequisquiapan, Querétaro
The fair aims to promote the renowned cheeses and wines of Querétaro and other regions of the country.
The gastronomic festival is accompanied by a variety of high-level musical activities and events.
The event includes conferences, tastings, dinners, exhibitions, workshops, and cultural activities related to culinary themes.
The venue is La Pila Park, located two blocks from the main square.
May Cultural Festival (Festival Cultural de Mayo FCM)
Date: May 7 to 29
Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco
This festival aims to stimulate recreation and cultural exchange, showcasing the main artistic expressions from various countries and particularly the state of Jalisco.
It takes place in the state's main cultural forums and spaces, such as the Degollado Theater and the Cabañas Cultural Institute.
The event offers concerts of various genres with top-level artists, as well as exhibitions, conferences, workshops, classes, films, contemporary circus, and street animation. It also includes forums for literary and gastronomic expressions.
Expo Feria Calakmul
Date: May 8 to 23
Location: Calakmul, Campeche
This celebration takes place in Xpujil and forms part of the municipality’s traditional festivities, combining cultural, commercial, and livestock activities. It features exhibitions, amusement rides, entertainment areas, performances, and community events.
Feria Mineral de Pozos
Date: May 9 to 16
Location: Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato
This celebration offers traditional events, folklore, live music, and local gastronomy, and has become one of the region’s most important festivals.
The program includes live music at Foro Plaza del Minero and performances by local bands, creating a family-friendly atmosphere.
Mother's Day
Date: May 10
Location: Nationwide
This day is dedicated to celebrating mothers throughout the country.
Pulque and Barbecue Fair
Date: May 13 to 15
Location: Magdalena Contreras town hall esplanade, Avenida Álvaro Obregón #20, Barranca Seca neighborhood, Mexico City
At this event, there are several exhibitors who make pulque, barbecue, and other typical dishes.
At this fair, visitors can enjoy barbacoa served with handmade tortillas and other regional products such as sauces, cheeses, and nopales.
There are musical group performances and handicraft sales.
Wind Festival
Date: May 15 to 18
Location: Bucerías, Riviera Nayarit, Nayarit
Bucerías hosts the country's largest freestyle event, bringing together nearly 200 participants of all ages.
It is a race with a zigzag course, starting from the Marina of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle towards Bucerías, marked by two buoys in the water, with a distance of approximately 6 nautical miles.
It's a spectacle to see the colorful sails of the daring athletes skimming the waters of Bahía de Banderas.
Feria San Juan de los Lagos
Date: May 15 to 25
Location: San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco
This celebration offers a blend of religious tradition, culture, and customs. It features a wide variety of activities, including religious events, pilgrimages, handicraft exhibitions, and traditional gastronomy, as well as amusement rides, cultural performances, and recreational activities.
Ylang Ylang Regional Livestock Expo Fair
Date: May 15 to 24
Location: Boca del Río, Veracruz
The event features livestock, commercial, and agricultural exhibitions, as well as craft displays, mechanical rides, cultural and sports events, and performances by top bands and singers.
Fiestas de Mayo Puerto Vallarta
Date: May 15 to 31
Location: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
This traditional event commemorates the anniversary of Puerto Vallarta with concerts, cultural activities, amusement rides, traditional gastronomy, and a unique atmosphere in the middle of a true paradise.
During the May Festivities, Puerto Vallarta comes alive with an extensive program of cultural, artistic, and recreational activities.
Whale Shark Watching Season
Date: May 16 to mid-September
Location: Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox, and Isla Contoy, Quintana Roo
Each year, whale sharks arrive in the coastal waters of northern Quintana Roo in search of plankton and warm waters.
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, averaging about 14 meters in length, with some specimens reaching up to 20 meters, making swimming near these giants an unforgettable experience.
Astri Triatlón Ixtapa
Date: May 16 and 17
Location: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
The triathlon challenges competitors to test their endurance by swimming, cycling, and running.
It takes place on Avenida Costera.
The second day is for Ironkids and Novices.
Alarconian Days (Jornadas Alarconianas)
Date: May 16 to 23
Location: Taxco, Guerrero
The Alarconian Days are held to pay tribute to the famous genius of dramatic and theatrical literature of the Golden Age: Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, born over 400 years ago in this beautiful Magic Town.
The event offers a program of more than 50 activities, including conferences, book presentations, exhibitions, workshops, and traditional alleyways. However, theater remains the protagonist of the festival.
There are activities dedicated to children, such as storytelling performances, improvisation story workshops, and plays adapted especially for the youngest family members.
The event takes place in various locations such as Plaza Borda, the former Hacienda de El Chorrillo, the Auditorium of the Cultural Center Casa Borda, and the Parish of Santa Prisca, as well as in the main squares and streets of the city.
Millesime San Miguel de Allende
Date: May 21 to 24
Location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Guanajuato boasts one of the most versatile gastronomies in Mexico, blending traditional and avant-garde dishes. This great heritage, combined with the unique atmosphere of this place, seeks to offer an unforgettable experience to all attendees of the celebration.
The festival has created a sensory journey that delights the senses.
The event brings together national and international chefs, as well as the best wine labels from Guanajuato, Baja California, and Querétaro.
Feria Córdoba
Date: May 21 to 31
Location: Córdoba, Veracruz
This event, also known as the “Fair of Joy,” promises concerts, cultural events, local gastronomy, and family activities, making it one of the most anticipated events in the Altas Montañas region.
The fair features concerts, cultural and artistic events, amusement rides, commercial exhibitions, and gastronomic showcases.
Livestock and Industrial Expo EXPOGAN
Dates: April 22 to May 17
Location: Hermosillo, Sonora
One of the most anticipated fairs in northern Mexico, offering a wide range of attractions and activities.
The Palenque features shows by internationally renowned artists. In addition, there is an important livestock, commercial, and industrial exhibition, as well as a “teatro del pueblo,” rodeo shows, extreme zone, amusement rides, circus, and sports and cultural events.
Actopan Mango Fair
Date: May 28 to 31
Location: Actopan, Veracruz
This town is characterized by its natural landscapes and offers a variety of attractions, including mechanical rides, craft exhibitions, culinary contests where mango is the star, and, of course, the opportunity to taste this delicious fruit.
Festival Cultura sin Fronteras
Date: May 29 to 31
Location: Monumento a la Revolución, Plaza de la República s/n, Tabacalera, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City.
This festival is an opportunity to introduce visitors and locals to cultures from different parts of the world.
It offers gastronomy, music, dance, and handicrafts from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, creating a unique cultural journey. Visitors can also shop for handicrafts, clothing, and a variety of international products.
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