Mérida Fest Draws 100,000+ to Cultural Celebration

Mérida, January 20, 2026 — The celebration of Mérida’s 484th anniversary concluded with more than 100,000 attendees enjoying a wide cultural offering in community and safe spaces.

Once again, culture, art, and traditions came together to consolidate Mérida Fest as one of the country’s main festivals. According to preliminary results, approximately 105,000 attendees of all ages were counted across 217 events featuring the talent of 949 invited local, national, and international artists.

Undoubtedly, the stellar concerts of “Manzanero Returns Home” and the Mexican band “Reik” drew the largest crowds in the city’s Plaza Grande. In Mérida’s neighborhoods and communities, local talent showcased regional comedy and music.

During the festival’s final weekend, dance was one of the disciplines that captivated the audience. In “Cutting Anchors: Dances for Purification,” choreographer Érika Torres directed a group of dancers approaching 50 years of age, demonstrating that age is no barrier to moving forward, feeling free, and enjoying dance.

The collaboration between dancer Tatiana Zugazagoita and Argentine composer based in Barcelona, Sebastián García Ferro, highlighted the relationship between dance, philosophy, and bodily experience in the work “Boxed In.”

The two days of “Encounters in Transit” surprised Meridians thanks to the creativity of the Bifrontal Collective with their everyday characters wearing large masks, inviting passersby to enjoy the city’s richness.

Internationally renowned bailaora María Juncal, with solid training in classical and Spanish ballet, took over the Mérida stage with her tablaos and talent. Music repeated its success during the final week with thousands of followers keeping rhythm with clapping and foot-tapping.

The Mérida Chamber Orchestra and Muziek Grand Band were successful with their arrangements and music from the 70s to 90s, while people enjoyed regional gastronomy from popular kitchens.

The literary sessions demonstrated reader interest and enthusiasm for the short story genre at the 5th National Meeting of Short Story Writers ENAC-Mérida. Among the activities, Mexican writers Bibiana Camacho and Elma Correa spoke in a master talk within the “Voz Viva” program about the challenges of living the short story, creative processes, centralism, and the main message for any writer: prioritize reading.

The five guided tours through Mérida’s galleries—in the areas of La Ermita, Santa Ana, Santiago, Centro, and Norte—received strong response from both art consumers and people eager to discover what is being created today, with different local and international proposals in these spaces.