October 3 to October 18, 2025
The moment that thousands of culture lovers were waiting for has finally arrived. The International Cervantino Festival (FIC) 2026 published its official program, with which it is already possible to start planning your visit to Guanajuato and choose between concerts, plays, dance shows, opera, cinema, exhibitions, training activities and outdoor experiences that will give life to the 54th edition of the festival, from October 3 to 18.
The program brings together activities distributed in some of the most emblematic spaces of the city of Guanajuato, such as the Juárez Theater, the Main Theater, the Cervantes Theater, the Esplanade of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, Plaza San Fernando, Plaza Allende, Los Pastitos, the University of Guanajuato and various museums, as well as activities in other municipalities of the state.
This year, France will be the guest of honor and its presence is reflected throughout the program with theater, music, dance, visual arts, cinema and multidisciplinary experiences that will coexist with artists and companies from different countries, as well as with a wide representation of Mexican talent.
As in every edition, there will be large-format screenings, massive concerts at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, free presentations in public squares, assemblies for family audiences, academic activities, film cycles, temporary exhibitions and proposals designed for those who seek to discover new artistic expressions. The diversity of genres and venues means that practically any visitor can build their own Cervantino, whether attending an opera performance at the Juárez Theater, touring an exhibition, enjoying an open-air concert or finding an unexpected show in one of the squares of the Historic Center.
In addition to the activities in Guanajuato capital, the program includes exhibitions and functions in cities such as León, San Miguel de Allende, Salamanca, Silao and PurÃsima del Rincón, expanding the presence of the festival in different parts of the state.
In Guanajuato.Travel we will be carrying out special coverage of the International Cervantino Festival 2026 with editorial recommendations, visitor guides, selections of unmissable events, free activities, routes to tour the city and everything you need to know to enjoy one of the most important cultural celebrations in Mexico and the world to the fullest.
We are the largest cultural festival in Latin America and this year we celebrate our 52nd edition, making it more exciting than ever.
With more than 2,500 artists from 33 countries, we scheduled 159 performing arts events and 90 activities in visual arts, film, literature, and artists’ market. All in all, we have an overflowing non-stop cultural agenda for 19 days… wow! The public lives an intense and vibrant experience with multiple options of great quality for every taste. Our venue has no comparison: Guanajuato is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its proud mining past. Strollers walk between alleys to go from one stage to another, some forums are closed like the Teatro Juarez, and others are open like the Esplanade of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. In addition, in keeping with the tradition we emerged, we promote artistic activities on street stages held in public squares. As an initiative of the federal government, bringing together different levels of government, public and private institutions, we focus on designing diverse and affordable programming, with 50% of the offerings being free of charge. Although there are shows for specific audiences, such as children’s events or master classes focused on music students, to mention two examples, most of our content aims at the general public, which means everybody can enjoy it. Come and join us! We are a family festival open to all audiences.
A crucial part of us is the Social FIC (FIC Social), the initiative that brings together different programs such as Beyond Guanajuato (Más allá de Guanajuato), which transports the festival to various parts of the country by screening several shows. For eight years Ruelas Project (Proyecto Ruelas) has worked with vulnerable communities in Guanajuato to rebuild the social fabric through theater. In addition, the presence of artists from the Cervantino Festival in other cities of the country is possible thanks to the efforts of The Cervantino Tour (Circuito Cervantino), another of the festival’s initiatives whose mission is to extend the festival throughout the length and breadth of the country.
There is no need to arrive in Guanajuato with a long list of chosen activities, but with a tremendous willingness to be surprised by the city, its venues, the artists, and the friendly local people. If this is your first Cervantino experience, just let yourself go. You will find something in the program that will take your soul away, and if you are a steady audience, do not miss anything in the State Auditorium (Auditorio del Estado), especially Dimitris. La Fura will blow your mind, public squares will be exceptionally active, a surprise will come from Lila Downs, and Los Pastitos will bring the most raucous program.
We are waiting for you at our home, Guanajuato, with all the excitement of the festival’s anniversary, and in our online home, on the website, we will broadcast plenty of shows. You can check the complete program here and see what each activity is like. We guide you to the ticket purchase, provide you with the agenda and the hand programs of some of the shows. If you are one of those who want to carry the festival in your pocket, we recommend you download the App Cervantina to make your experience even more enjoyable.
We celebrate the first half-century of bringing together the best of the performing arts to Guanajuato.
Goal:
Our goal is to leave no one behind. We work to bring different audiences closer to artistic expressions, which will help to build a fuller society based on plurality and empathy. Building space of cultural dissemination, seeking the distribution of cultural wealth while encouraging national creation by opening the Cervantino stages to Mexican artists. Encouraging new audiences through diverse programming with different interests and showing art does matter matters a lot.
