Snake Festival Returns to Playa del Carmen on July 11

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The fifth edition of the Snake Festival will take place on July 11 at Parque La Ceiba, organized by the nonprofit Tlacuatzin AC to dispel myths and promote conservation of the reptiles.

The event is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., said festival coordinator and biologist Karina Esperanza Poot Pech.

“Many people see a snake and the first thing they do is kill it, because of the fear instilled in them since childhood. We want to provide correct information so they can identify and conserve them,” Poot Pech said.

The festival will feature workshops, lectures, and educational activities led by specialists and scientists from across the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as local environmental groups. Participants include activist Roberto Rojo and the collective Cenotes Urbanos, who will discuss the relationship between snakes and the region’s cave and cenote systems.

Poot Pech noted that only five snake species in Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatan are medically significant, while the vast majority pose little to no danger to humans. In addition to species identification, the festival will provide guidance on what to do if a snake is encountered and which authorities to contact for proper handling and protection.