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Huatulco’s event calendar leans on Catholic feast days, Oaxacan traditions, and the rhythm of the fishing and tourist seasons. Most festivals happen in La Crucecita and Santa Cruz, and the biggest draws cluster in the dry season from November through April, with a quiet stretch during the June to October rains. Prices below are in Mexican pesos. For weather context when planning around a specific date, check the Huatulco weather by month page.
Huatulco Events and Festivals: Spring and Summer
Fiestas de Mayo (First Week of May)
La Crucecita celebrates its founding with a week of events in early May, anchored around May 3. Expect nightly concerts on the main plaza, a mechanical fair, food stalls, and a short parade. It is a local affair rather than a tourist spectacle, and the town fills with regional visitors, so book hotels a few weeks ahead. The weather is still dry, with just 27mm of rain in May.
Semana Santa (March or April)
Holy Week is Huatulco’s busiest week of the year, with the date shifting each spring. Mexican families flood the bays, and beach palapas and restaurants run at capacity. Processions take place through La Crucecita on Good Friday, and the beaches stay packed from Thursday through Easter Sunday. Reserve hotels and any boat tour well in advance if you travel this week, and expect higher rates.
Guelaguetza (Last Two Mondays of July)
The Guelaguetza is Oaxaca’s signature indigenous dance festival, held in Oaxaca City rather than Huatulco, but it fills the whole state’s hotels and buses each July. If you are based in Huatulco and want to attend, it is a 3.5-hour bus ride to the capital, and you should book the performance tickets months ahead. The festival falls on the last two Mondays of July, and our things to do in Huatulco page covers the coffee and waterfall trips that pair with a Guelaguetza visit.
Huatulco Events and Festivals: Autumn and Winter
Day of the Dead (November 1-2)
Dia de Muertos brings altars (ofrendas) to the plaza and cemetery in La Crucecita, decorated with marigolds, candles, and pan de muerto. Families gather on the nights of November 1 and 2, and you can respectfully visit the public displays. It coincides with the return of dry weather and the start of high season, so flights and hotels begin to fill from late October. See the best time to visit Huatulco guide for shoulder-season timing.
Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12)
The town’s patron celebration centers on the painted ceiling of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the La Crucecita church. The night of December 11 brings a candlelit procession and mariachi serenades, followed by masses through December 12. It is a genuinely local religious event, and visitors are welcome at the public portions. December is peak season, so confirm your where to stay in Huatulco options early.
New Year’s Eve (December 31)
Huatulco rings in the new year with fireworks over Santa Cruz and Tangolunda bays, beachfront dinners at the resorts, and parties in the marina area. Hotels in Tangolunda run all-inclusive New Year packages that book out months in advance. This is the single most expensive week of the year to visit, and the Huatulco neighborhoods all spike in price through the first week of January.
Carnaval (February or March)
Huatulco holds a small Carnaval in the days before Lent, with a parade of floats and costumed dancers along the coastal road, much smaller than the mega-carnivals of Veracruz or Mazatlan. It shifts each year with the church calendar and is a good low-key reason to visit in the dry season. Check current dates against the Huatulco travel tips page before booking.
