Mérida Fest 2026 will celebrate the city’s 484th anniversary with a massive, free music festival from January 5 to 18. Music will fill public plazas, cultural centers, and smaller surrounding communities.
The festival will feature several music genres, including Yucatecan folk music in Spanish and Yucatec-Maya, Opera, Latin beats, Caribbean rhythms, Electronic music, and music for children.
The City Chamber Orchestra, led by Russell Montañez Coronado, will perform several times for the city’s 484th anniversary. Their first event is the music for the official anniversary church mass. They will be joined by the City Choir, directed by Nidia Góngora Cervera, at 8 a.m. January 6 at the main Cathedral. The special guest soloist will be 14-year-old Santiago Solís, a member of the Municipal Music Center Choir.
Their second program is on January 7. It is called “Concert for a Living Land.” It will feature the Mérida Academic Sinfonietta, comprising the Municipal Orchestra and the UADY Regional Orchestra. There will be 55 people on stage. The director said it will be “a revival of the most iconic and greatest jaranas (traditional Yucatecan songs) of all time.”
Russell Montañez thanked the institutions that worked together on this project, which includes 17 jaranas. They will be performed in a symphonic style, with lyrics and accompaniment from soloist Geny Cruz.
The Chamber Orchestra and City Choir will also perform at the presentation of the book “100 Jewels of Sacred Art of the Yucatán Peninsula” by Diario de Yucatán on January 8 at the El Jesús Church (Tercera Orden).
The orchestra group’s final event will be with the popular group Banda Musiek. They will present “Disco Symphony: Trapped in the 70s and 80s” on January 15 at the Paseo de Montejo’s Remate, between Calle 47 and 49.
Andrea Gutiérrez, representing the opera project “Gianni Schicchi,” explained that it is a one-act comedy by Giacomo Puccini. It aims to introduce people to opera using everyday human situations. “With this project, we believe in art and culture,” she said. “They are not luxuries, but the foundation for building a healthier and more empathetic society.” The opera will debut on January 9 at the Olimpo Cultural Center.
Local performer Jesús Armando invited everyone to the festival’s opening concert. It is on January 6th at the Plaza Grande. The concert is called “With Open Arms: Music for the World,” directed by Pedro Carlos Herrera. He will be joined by artists like María Teresa, Marilú Basulto, and Eduardo Vázquez. He shared that there will be eight musicians on stage, the Alma de México folk ballet, video projections, and songs from Peru, Spain, Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina, the United States, and Mexico. He said it is “a way of saying that here in Mérida, everyone is welcome.”
The music lineup for Mérida Fest 2026 includes 28 ensembles and 36 performances. One of the most anticipated acts consists of a tribute to the life and music of Armando Manzanero titled “Manzanero regresa a casa,” featuring artists including Alex Lora, Francisco Céspedes, and Susana Zabaleta.
Other notable acts include Territorio Vivo, México y Cuba. Dos Almas, una Trova, MeriDanSoñando, Baterimba, Orquesta Cubateca, Xe’ek, and a concert by the band Reik.
Aside from the free concerts and performances, attendees of Mérida’s 2026 Mérida fest can expect to find street fairs, plenty of street food, as well as a handful of dance performances and art exhibitions. See the complete schedule of free events: www.merida.gob.mx/meridafest/.
While not part of the Mérida Fest 2026 Celebration, the city will also be celebrating its anniversary with its annual marathon on January 4. Expect street closures until at least noon.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a journalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway.