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Cholula runs on a fiesta calendar, with the spring equinox, the September feast of its patron saint and the Day of the Dead as the three biggest dates. Most events are free and take over the zocalo, the pyramid and the surrounding streets, so this Cholula events and festivals guide is ordered by season with the dates you actually need. For the full city overview, start with our Cholula guide.
Cholula Events and Festivals: Spring and the Equinox
Festival Equinoccio (Spring Equinox), March 20 to 21
On the spring equinox, thousands of people dressed in white climb the Great Pyramid before sunrise to greet the first light from the top, a modern ritual tied to the site’s pre-Hispanic past. The zocalo fills with dance groups, conchero dancers and food stalls for two days. Arrive by 6 am if you want a spot on the pyramid, and expect the archaeological zone to be busier than any other day of the year. It is also one of the driest weeks of the year, as the best time to visit Cholula guide explains.
Semana Santa (Holy Week), late March or April
Holy Week brings processions through the streets of San Pedro Cholula and packed churches from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. The dates shift each year. Hotels book out weeks ahead, so reserve early if your dates overlap.
Cholula Events and Festivals: Summer
Festival de la Nieve y el Pulque, May
This early-summer fair on the zocalo celebrates two local staples, ice cream and pulque, with stalls selling dozens of flavours and fermented agave drinks. It usually lands on the first two weekends of May, and tastings run 30 to 80 pesos.
Feria de San Pedro Cholula, late August to mid September
The annual town fair runs roughly three weeks from late August to mid September with rides, rodeo events, live music and a large artisan market around the zocalo and fairgrounds. Entry to the fairground is often free, with rides and games priced individually. Pair the fair dates with the things to do in Cholula list to make the most of the visit.
Cholula Events and Festivals: Autumn and the Fiesta of the Remedies
Fiesta de la Virgen de los Remedios, September 8
September 8 is Cholula’s biggest religious date, the feast of the Virgin of Remedies whose church sits on top of the pyramid. Pilgrims from across Puebla climb the pyramid, the zocalo hosts a street fair with fireworks and mariachi, and food stalls ring the site for days around the 8th. It is crowded and loud, and it is the clearest window into local religious life. September is also the wettest month, so the Cholula weather by month guide is worth a look before you commit to outdoor events.
Independence Day, September 15 to 16
Like everywhere in Mexico, the night of September 15 is the Grito, with the mayor leading the cry of independence from the zocalo followed by fireworks. September 16 brings a parade through the centre. Restaurants fill up, so book a table on the Portales if you want to watch.
Day of the Dead, November 1 to 2
Cholula’s zocalo fills with marigold arches, painted catrinas and ofrendas (altars) for the dead, and the nearby cemeteries in San Pedro and San Andres stay open late for families visiting graves. It is a quieter, more local version than the huge events in Mexico City, and the weather in early November is dry and mild. The Cholula neighborhoods guide maps the two cemetery areas in detail.
Cholula Events and Festivals: Winter and the Holidays
Posadas and Christmas, December 16 to 24
From December 16, nightly posadas re-enact Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging, with candlelit processions, pinatas and ponche (warm fruit punch) in the neighbourhoods. Christmas Eve masses fill San Gabriel and San Pedro churches. If you stay for the holidays, the where to stay in Cholula guide lists hotels that remain quiet during the posadas.
Noche de las Estrellas (Night of the Stars), late November or early December
This astronomy night, usually the last Saturday of November or first of December, sets up telescopes on the zocalo and around the pyramid for free public stargazing. Cholula’s dry-season skies make it one of the better urban viewing spots in central Mexico. For getting to the stargazing spots after dark, the Cholula travel tips guide covers taxi costs.
