Cancún, Quintana Roo — More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the Grito de Independencia ceremony on Sept. 15 at the Municipal Palace in Benito Juárez, according to a city official.
Nora Viviana Espinoza Hernández, head of the municipal administrative office, said Wednesday that workers are currently repairing the palace’s façade ahead of the celebration.
The national holiday program will begin Sept. 1 with a flag-raising ceremony and the unveiling of patriotic decorations on the palace esplanade, scheduled for 7:30 a.m.
Espinoza Hernández said the maintenance work is limited to patching the building’s exterior and insisted that no other construction is planned inside or outside the property. The decorations are expected to be in place by Monday.
On Sept. 13, a commemorative event will take place at the Monumento a los Niños Héroes in the Hotel Zone. The following night, festivities will start at 7:30 p.m. with an artistic festival hosted by the duo Los Compradres. Music, magic, and dance performances will run until 10:50 p.m., followed by a concert by the Municipal Orchestra.
After the concert, a drone show featuring 200 drones will be staged from Parque de las Palapas. The official Grito ceremony will then take place, followed by a performance by a headlining artist whose name is expected to be announced in the coming days.
In addition, a craft and commercial corridor will be set up along Tulum Avenue near the palace for the thousands of visitors expected.
Festivities will conclude Sept. 16 at 8 a.m. with the traditional civic-military parade, including school contingents and representatives from security and emergency agencies.
The city government says it expects to save up to 50 percent of the cost of previous celebrations by purchasing its own equipment, such as tents and generators, instead of renting them.
“We are still missing many things, but I believe that with the supplies we bought—those pieces of equipment—even if they were few, they used to represent a significant expense for us,” Espinoza Hernández said.
