San Cristóbal de las Casas runs on a packed festival calendar that mixes Catholic feast days with Maya traditions from the surrounding villages. Several events have fixed dates, while others move with Easter. Here is what to expect each season, with the dates to plan around.
San Cristóbal de las Casas Events in Spring
Carnaval de San Juan Chamula (late February to early March)
The Carnival in San Juan Chamula is the region’s most intense event. Dates move each year with Lent, usually late February or early March. Men dressed as monkeys run barefoot across burning grass in the plaza, and masked dancers move through the streets. Photography is not permitted, and visitors are expected to watch quietly from the edges. The same week, San Cristóbal itself holds parades and street parties. Chamula is one of the things to do in San Cristóbal de las Casas covered in its own guide.
Semana Santa (Holy Week, March or April)
Holy Week fills the city with processions, sawdust carpets and candlelit vigils, peaking on Good Friday. Hotel prices are at their highest of the year and rooms sell out weeks ahead, so book early through the where to stay guide. This is also when the spring Feria de la Primavera y de la Paz runs in the state capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez, with concerts and rides, a 90-minute bus ride away.
San Cristóbal de las Casas Events in Summer
Fiesta de San Cristóbal (July 25)
July 25 is the feast of Saint Christopher, the city’s patron saint. The celebration runs for about a week around the date with processions, fireworks, marimba bands and food stalls filling the Zócalo and the walkways around Santo Domingo. It is the biggest local holiday of the year and falls mid-rainy-season, so carry an umbrella. The best time to visit guide covers how the festival fits into the calendar.
San Cristóbal de las Casas Events in Autumn
Festival Cervantino Barroco (October)
Each October, the Festival Cervantino Barroco brings baroque music, theatre and dance to San Cristóbal’s churches and plazas. Dates vary by year, but the festival usually spans the second half of the month. Many performances are free. It is the cultural highlight of the autumn and pairs well with the tail end of the weather by month guide dry spell.
Día de Muertos (November 1 and 2)
Day of the Dead is observed intensely in San Cristóbal and the surrounding villages. Families build altars with marigolds, candles and food, and spend the night of November 1 in the cemeteries at San Cristóbal, Chamula and Zinacantán. Altars also appear outside homes across the city’s neighborhoods. The panteón (cemetery) vigils are the most atmospheric part, and visitors are welcome but should stay respectful and ask before photographing people. Hotels fill up, so reserve early.
San Cristóbal de las Casas Events in Winter
Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe (December 12)
December 12 draws pilgrims to the hilltop Iglesia de Guadalupe, where the day is marked with masses, mariachi and a night procession. The week before, from December 16 to 24, neighbourhoods hold posadas, re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter with piñatas and hot ponche. Christmas week is a peak travel period, so see the travel tips guide and book lodging well in advance.
Fiesta de la Candelaria (February 2)
February 2, Candlemas, is celebrated with candle blessings at churches across town and tamales in family homes, a tradition tied to whoever found the baby figurine in the January 6 rosca cake. It is a quieter, locals-focused holiday and a good reason to visit in the dry season.
