Guanajuato is the Guest State of the twentieth edition of the festival, one of the most important cultural events in Mexico surrounding the celebrati
Guanajuato is the Guest State of the twentieth edition of the festival, one of the most important cultural events in Mexico surrounding the celebration of the Day of the Dead
Participation includes music, dance, theater, folk arts, gastronomy and expressions linked to Guanajuatense traditions
Mexico City/Gto News
Guanajuato will be the Guest State of the 20th Festival of Life and Death Traditions Xcaret 2026, a celebration that finds one of its main focuses in Mexican traditions dedicated to the dead and that this year will have Guanajuato as the protagonist of a wide display of cultural, artistic and gastronomic heritage.
The participation was announced in a press conference in Mexico City, led by authorities from Guanajuato, representatives of the Government of Quintana Roo and directors of Grupo Xcaret.
The significance of this gathering is linked to the heritage dimension of the celebration that gave rise to it: “Indigenous festivals dedicated to the dead” were inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The international organization recognizes in these celebrations the union of ritual practices, worldviews, and community expressions that are transmitted from generation to generation and that have profound meaning for the indigenous communities of Mexico.
In this context, Guanajuato’s presence at the festival represents an opportunity to share with national and international audiences how its communities preserve and recreate their heritage, from artistic and artisanal expressions to gastronomy and ways of remembering those who are no longer with us.
The 20th Xcaret Festival of Life and Death Traditions 2026 will take place on October 30th and 31st and November 1st and 2nd at Xcaret Park in Quintana Roo. The Guanajuatense participation will feature 127 artists, 78 performances, three workshops, and five altars and installations, showcasing artistic expressions from different regions, generations, and artistic languages of Guanajuato.
“Guanajuato is a living culture,” Lizeth Galvan Cortes, the Secretary of Culture of Guanajuato said and noted that the State arrives at Xcaret with a history, an identity, and enormous cultural wealth to share with Mexico and the world.
The program will allow the public to experience expressions such as the huapango arribeno from the Sierra Gorda, the Danza del Torito, the Entremeses Cervantinos, the Estudiantina and the Ballet Folklorico of the University of Guanajuato, as well as the ancestral memory of Chupicuaro, popular arts, altars and traditional gastronomy.
Among the activities of the Secretary of Culture are “Operativo Kafka”, by the Lola Lince Experimental Dance Company; the Huapango Arribeno from the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato , by Las Palomitas Serranas; the Entremeses Cervantinos, by the University Theater of the University of Guanajuato; the participation of the Estudiantina of the University of Guanajuato , and Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, by the Folkloric Ballet of the University of Guanajuato.
Guanajuato’s presence will also focus on folk art and ancestral memory with the presence of “La Muerte Voladora ,” a large-format traditional Mexican toy.
The Xcaret Festival of Life and Death Traditions has established itself as a space for the promotion, preservation, and dissemination of Mexico’s cultural heritage. Its program includes gastronomy, offerings and altars, exhibitions, music, dance, concerts, workshops, and other activities that aim to provide an immersive experience in Mexican traditions.
For Guanajuato, being the Guest State means bringing a broad representation of its heritage to this stage and, at the same time, fostering a cultural exchange with Quintana Roo. The proposal blends tradition and contemporary expression, aiming to allow visitors to experience the diverse cultural expressions that make the State a vibrant cultural hub.
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