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Events in Mexico: October
The Festival Cervantino -- in Guadalajara -- alongside the Guelaguetza festival (see July) are arguably Mexico's two biggest cultural events of the year. The Cervantino is international in scope and one of the biggest event dates in Mexico's calendar. Book Early if you plan to visit Guanajuato during this time! There's plenty more too, for example, the Fiestas de Octubre (October Parties) take place all month in the city of Guadalajara...
Details of some of the events listed are supplied by Mexico's States via the Mexico Tourism Board.
Dates of some of the events are subject to change. Please check website links (where available) for details and/or check locally for any schedule alterations.
Choose Event Start Dates of Interest
All month long: October Festivals (Fiestas de Octubre) -- Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is birthplace of the Mariachi, the famous Mexican musical performers, synonymous with Mexico. During October Mariachis celebrate their art in the city where they began. Musicians from all over Mexico gather here during October - if you like Mariachi music, get to Guadalajara in October! You can discover the fabulous city of Guadalajara with Mexperience!
All month long: Tamaulipas International Festival (Festival Internacional Tamaulipas) -- Tamaulipas
Held in October every year, this festival features a variety of cultural and artistic events including exhibits, plays, concerts and cinema, turning the entire state into a hotbed of culture.
OCT 1-9: Morelia Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia) -- Morelia, Michoacan
Now in its tenth year, this festival is one of the most important, this film festival gathers together an international group of filmmakers, critics and actors in order to promote the new talents of Mexican cinema and provide a forum for international exhibition.
OCT 5-23: International Festival of Contemporary Dance (Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea) -- San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi State
Festival celebrating contemporary dance and featuring national and international artists from countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, United States, Japan and Venezuela.
OCT 5-23: 33rd International Cervantine Festival (33° Festival Cervantino Internacional) -- Guanajuato, Guanajauato State
Takes place hroughout first half of October in the colonial city of Guanajuato (exact dates vary year-to-year). Mexico's October Events Calendar is always dominated by one major event: The Festival Cervantino in the colonial city of Guanajuato. Although the festival is hosted in one of Mexico's smaller colonial cities, its international fame and reach are indisputable. If you are visiting Mexico in October and can get to Guanajuato (Book your Accommodation NOW!) you'll be treated to a feast of dance, music, art and entertainment performed by internationally acclaimed acts from as far away as India and China.
OCT 6-11: Fly All-Release Rooster Fish Tournament -- Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
Fly fish take center stage during this first international fishing tournament that focuses on the preservation of the species.
OCT 12: Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day)
The day that commemorates Columbus' founding of the "new world", an event that subsequently sparked the journeys of hundreds of European explorers traveling west to discover that you really don't fall off the edge, and to inhabit the lands we now call The Americas. This used to be a public holiday.
OCT 15-17: International Nacho Fest (Festival Internacional del Nacho) -- Piedras Negras, Coahuila
Every year this event is organized to promote the notorious nacho, one of the region's culinary contributions to Mexican cuisine.
OCT 22-NOV 2: Festival of Skulls (Festival de las Calaveras) -- Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes State
This macabre festival features a variety of morbid art exhibits, performing arts and a parade of skeletons, with contests for the most creative costumes and artwork. Skulls of different sizes and materials are on display as well as games and stands with traditional food and seasonal fruits.
OCT 30-NOV 28: November Festivals (Fiestas de Noviembre) -- Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca
The events during this month include the annual Pipeline of Mexico, Zicatela Beach's International Surfing Tournament, the International Sailfish Tournament and the Coastal Dance Festival.
