Mérida’s event calendar is one of the richest in Mexico, with free public festivals running nearly every week of the year. The city’s Maya and colonial heritage, combined with strong municipal arts funding, means you can catch live music, dance, and cultural events without spending a peso on most nights. For more details, see our Mérida weather by month guide. Here are the major Mérida events and festivals, arranged by month.
Mérida Events and Festivals: January to March
Mérida Fest (January)
Mérida Fest celebrates the anniversary of the city’s founding on January 6, 1542. The festival runs for roughly three weeks through late January with 150+ free events across the city. Performances include symphony orchestras, international jazz and trova artists, ballet folklorico, theater, and art exhibitions. Major venues include the Teatro Peón Contreras, Parque de Santa Lucía, and the Palacio de la Música on Plaza Grande. The opening ceremony on January 5 features a massive concert and fireworks display. Most events are free; a few headliner concerts require tickets (MXN$200 to 500). For more details, see our best time to visit Mérida guide. Check the official program at merida.gob.mx/meridafest.
Carnival (February or March)
Mérida’s Carnival runs for five days ending on Ash Wednesday, so the dates shift each year (usually February or early March). The main parade route runs along Paseo de Montejo with elaborate floats, costumed comparsas (dance troupes), and live bands. Unlike the beach-party atmosphere of Cancun’s Carnival, Mérida’s version is family-oriented with daytime children’s parades and evening adult events. The burning of Juan Carnaval (an effigy) on Tuesday night marks the traditional close of festivities. For more details, see our things to do in Mérida guide. All parades are free; grandstand seats cost MXN$100 to 200.
Equinox at Dzibilchaltún (March 21)
On the spring equinox, the sun rises directly through the doorway of the Temple of the Seven Dolls at the Dzibilchaltún archaeological site. Thousands gather before dawn to watch the phenomenon. The site opens at 5 am on equinox morning and the effect lasts only a few minutes around sunrise. Arrive by 4:30 am to get a good viewing spot. Site admission is MXN$245. For more details, see our best neighborhoods in Mérida guide. The fall equinox (September 21) offers the same alignment with far smaller crowds.
Mérida Events and Festivals: April to June
Semana Santa (March or April)
Holy Week is one of the biggest events on Mérida’s calendar. Processions begin on Palm Sunday with the Blessing of the Palms at the Cathedral of San Ildefonso. The most solemn procession is the Good Friday Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) through the streets of the historic center, with participants carrying religious icons on wooden platforms. Many businesses close Thursday through Sunday. Hotels fill up months in advance; book accommodation for Semana Santa by January. For more details, see our where to stay in Mérida guide. The following week (Pascua) is a major beach vacation period when locals head to Progreso and the Gulf coast.
Feria de la Naranja (May)
The Orange Fair in the nearby town of Oxkutzcab (about 100 km south of Mérida) celebrates the region’s citrus harvest in mid-May. It started in 1984 and now includes agricultural exhibitions, live music, carnival rides, and the election of the Orange Queen. Dozens of stalls sell fresh-squeezed juice, orange-based sweets, and regional Yucatecan dishes. The town is also the gateway to the Loltún Caves and the Ruta Puuc archaeological sites. Entry to the fair grounds is about MXN$30. For more details, see our Mérida travel tips guide. Oxkutzcab is reachable by second-class bus from Mérida’s Noreste terminal in about 2 hours.
Mérida Events and Festivals: July to September
Festival Internacional de la Cultura Maya (October, sometimes shifted)
The International Festival of Maya Culture (FICMAYA) is a major biennial event that brings together Maya communities from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. It features academic conferences, traditional ceremonies, art exhibitions, concerts, and gastronomic showcases. Recent editions have focused on themes like Maya astronomy, oral traditions, and sustainable agriculture. The festival usually runs for 10 days in October, but dates have shifted to different months in some years. For more details, see our Mérida travel guide guide. Most events are free and spread across multiple venues including the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya and the Teatro Armando Manzanero.
Mérida Events and Festivals: October to December
Hanal Pixán (October 31 to November 2)
Hanal Pixán (Mayan for “food for the souls”) is the Yucatán’s version of the Day of the Dead. Families build altars in their homes with photos of deceased relatives, candles, marigold flowers, and offerings of mucbipollo (a large tamale cooked in an underground pit oven). The city erects large public altars on Plaza Grande and in neighborhood parks. The Paseo de las Ánimas (Procession of the Souls) on October 31 runs from the General Cemetery to the San Juan Arch, with thousands of people dressed as skeletons and ánimas. Unlike the larger celebration in Mexico City or Oaxaca, Hanal Pixán retains a distinctly Maya character with pre-Hispanic elements. Join the procession for free; face painting vendors charge MXN$50 to 100.
Feria Yucatán Xmatkuil (November)
The Yucatán State Fair takes place at the Xmatkuil fairgrounds about 15 km south of Mérida, running for roughly three weeks from early November through the first week of December. It is the largest annual event in the state with livestock exhibitions, rodeos (charreadas), mechanical rides, concerts by major Mexican and international artists, and food pavilions serving every regional specialty from cochinita pibil to queso relleno. Admission is MXN$50 on weekdays and MXN$70 on weekends. City buses run special fair routes from the centro; expect heavy traffic on the Periférico on weekend evenings.
Christmas and New Year in Mérida
The Christmas season in Mérida runs from December 12 (Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe) through January 6 (Día de Reyes). The Plaza Grande hosts a large nacimiento (nativity scene) and a temporary ice skating rink (yes, in 30°C weather). The Calle 60 corridor from the Plaza Grande to Parque Santa Ana is decorated with lights and seasonal displays. Posadas (neighborhood processions reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging) happen nightly from December 16 to 24. On January 6, families share the Rosca de Reyes (King’s Cake), and the city distributes free roscas on the Plaza Grande. Hotels charge their highest rates of the year from December 20 to January 5.
