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San Jose del Cabo’s event calendar revolves around art, food, fishing, and the sea, with most major festivals landing between November and June when the weather is mild. The signature weekly event is the Thursday Art Walk, which runs every Thursday evening from November through June and turns the historic center’s galleries into a free open house. Here is the full year, season by season, with dates and what to expect.
Events and Festivals in San Jose del Cabo: Winter (December to February)
Thursday Art Walk
The Art Walk runs every Thursday from 5pm to 9pm, November through June, across the roughly 20 galleries of the Gallery District. Galleries host openings, pour wine, and stay open late, and the event is free to wander. It pauses for the summer (July through October) when the heat makes evening events less comfortable. Start at the Plaza Mijares end and work toward the estuary, and do not worry about a map, the district is only a few blocks square.
Sabor a Cabo
Sabor a Cabo is the region’s flagship food and wine festival, held the first week of December, drawing top chefs and Mexican wineries for tastings, dinners, and a grand finale event at a waterfront venue. Tickets for the main tasting typically run US$100 to US$200 per person and sell out weeks ahead, so book early. It raises funds for local charities, and the event has run since 2005. Since December hotels fill fast, lock in a room early through our where to stay in San Jose del Cabo guide.
Los Cabos International Film Festival
The Los Cabos International Film Festival runs in mid-November, screening premieres, Mexican and international features, and documentaries across venues in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. It draws Hollywood and Latin American filmmakers, with red carpet events at the Puerto Los Cabos marina. Individual screening tickets are modest (often under 200 pesos), and some open air screenings are free. Check the festival site in October for the schedule and venue list, and see our San Jose del Cabo travel tips guide for getting between venues.
Events and Festivals in San Jose del Cabo: Spring (March to May)
Festival de San Jose
The patron saint festival for San Jose (Saint Joseph) runs around March 19, the saint’s feast day, with processions, a fair, fireworks, and live music around Plaza Mijares and the mission. It is a local and family oriented celebration rather than a tourist event, and it is a good chance to see traditional Baja Sur culture up close. Expect the historic center to be busy and some streets closed in the evening for the week around the date.
Semana Santa and Easter
Semana Santa, the week before Easter, is one of the busiest travel periods in Mexico and brings big domestic crowds to San Jose del Cabo’s beaches and hotels. March and April fill up fast, so book rooms well ahead. The weather in April is ideal, dry with highs around 29degC (84degF), which is exactly why it gets crowded. For the full picture of spring conditions, see our San Jose del Cabo weather by month guide. If you want the spring weather without the crush, come in May instead.
Gastrovino Baja
Gastrovino Baja is a food and wine festival held in May, combining a restaurant week with a two day grand tasting of Baja California wines and regional chefs, usually at a venue near the marina. It is smaller and cheaper than Sabor a Cabo, with tasting tickets often under US$80. May is a smart month to visit for the festival plus lower hotel prices after Easter. Our best time to visit San Jose del Cabo guide has more on spring travel.
Events and Festivals in San Jose del Cabo: Summer (June to August)
Los Cabos Open of Surf
The Los Cabos Open of Surf is held in June at the Zippers break on Playa Costa Azul, part of the world surf league’s qualifying series, drawing pro surfers from across the Americas. Spectating is free from the beach, and the event brings music and a festival atmosphere. June is also when the Thursday Art Walk pauses for summer, so the surf contest is the main summer draw. Water temperatures are warming toward 27degC (81degF) by then.
Summer Quiet Season
Summer is the quietest season for organized events in San Jose del Cabo, since the heat and humidity peak and most festivals take a break until fall. Instead, summer is about the sea: whale shark season opens in nearby La Paz, sea temperatures hit 29degC (84degF) for snorkeling, and the surf stays consistent. August through December also brings sea turtle hatchling releases at the estuary and nearby beaches, which local conservation groups run and welcome volunteers for. See our things to do in San Jose del Cabo guide for the beaches and day trips.
Events and Festivals in San Jose del Cabo: Fall (September to November)
Mexican Independence Day
Independence Day is celebrated on September 15 and 16 with the traditional Grito, fireworks, and street parties around Plaza Mijares. September 15 is the main night, when the mayor delivers the cry of independence and the plaza fills with families, food stalls, and music. It is a lively, safe, and free event. Note that September is also the wettest and most humid month, so expect a hot evening.
Bisbee’s Black and Blue Fishing Tournaments
The Bisbee’s tournaments, the richest sportfishing events in the world with millions of dollars in prize money, run in late October, headquartered in Cabo San Lucas about 35 minutes from San Jose del Cabo. The weigh ins and parties at the Cabo San Lucas marina are free to watch and are a spectacle even if you do not fish. Hotels fill during tournament week, so book ahead if your dates overlap. October is when the marlin bite peaks in these waters.
Dia de los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos on November 1 and 2 fills the historic center with altars, painted faces, marigolds, and evening processions. San Jose del Cabo marks it with ofrendas in the plaza and gallery district, plus a parade through the center. It is family friendly and free, and a gentler, more local experience than the larger celebrations in mainland Mexico. November is also when the Thursday Art Walk resumes after its summer pause. Read our best neighborhoods in San Jose del Cabo guide to plan where to base yourself for the festivities.
