Janal Pixán Tulum 2025: Four Days of Culture, Color, and Maya Tradition

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The municipality of Tulum is preparing for one of its most anticipated annual celebrations, the Janal Pixán Tulum 2025 Festival, set to take place from October 30 to November 2. The four-day event blends Día de Muertos customs with ancient Maya rituals, showcasing the region’s rich heritage through contests, culinary competitions, and coastal ceremonies.

According to the Tulum City Council, this year’s program is designed to “preserve ancestral traditions, strengthen Maya identity, and promote citizen participation.” The calendar of events includes costume, altar, and Catrina contests, along with live performances, artisan markets, and the return of the ever-popular Tamale Eating Challenge.

Festival Overview

When the scent of copal fills the air and candles begin to glow against the Caribbean night, Tulum transforms into a living altar. Janal Pixán, which means “food for the souls” in the Maya language, honors the belief that departed loved ones return each year to share in offerings of food, music, and memory.

This year’s festivities expand beyond the town center to include pedestrian-only events along the coastline, giving both residents and visitors the chance to experience Maya spirituality in an inclusive, community-driven setting.

Official Schedule of Events

Thursday, October 30 – Costume Contest

• Time: 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Open-Air Theater, Museo de la Cultura Maya Park
• Details: Children ages 6 to 10, along with pets, will compete in the “Disfraces” Costume Contest. Participants will parade in themed costumes on a dramatized catwalk lasting up to two minutes.
• Prizes: 1st place – $5,000 MXN; 2nd – $3,000 MXN; 3rd – $2,000 MXN.
• Registration: Closes October 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Directorate of Social Communication and Events (Municipal Palace). Limited to 10 contestants per category.

Frida, October 31

• “Paseo de las Animas” Altar Walk & Contest
  • Time: 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
  • Location: Avenida Tulum, Colonia Centro
  • Details: Traditional altars representing the Maya communities of Yucatán, Chiapas, Puebla, and Oaxaca will be displayed. Each must include classic elements — food, sweets, drinks, flowers, candles, and incense — and feature a narrator in regional dress who explains the altar’s symbolism in under five minutes.
  • Prizes: 1st – $8,000 MXN; 2nd – $6,000 MXN; 3rd – $4,000 MXN.
  • Registration: Closes October 29 at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 1

• Coastal “Camino de la Luz” (Path of Light)
  • Time: From 6:30 p.m. onward
  • Location: Hotel Zone – From Hotel Azulik (km 4.1) to Punta Piedra (km 4.9)
  • Details: A pedestrian-only walk along Tulum’s hotel zone featuring altars, live music, and dance performances. The road will be closed to vehicles to allow visitors to walk freely among illuminated displays. Golf carts will be available for seniors and guests with limited mobility.

Sunday, November 2

• “Tragón de Tamales” Competition
  • Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Location: Plaza of the Municipal Palace
  • Details: Participants have 10 minutes to eat as many tamales as possible. Open to adults 18 and older in good health.
  • Prize: $3,000 MXN for the winner.
  • Registration: Closes October 29 at 4:00 p.m. at the Directorate of Economic Development.
    
• Catrina and Catrín Contest
  • Time: 7:00 p.m.
  • Location: Plaza of the Municipal Palace
  • Details: Pairs of children (6–12) and adults (18+) will parade as elegant Catrinas and Catrines, a symbol of Mexican art and mortality popularized by José Guadalupe Posada. Judging will focus on creativity, costume design, and presentation.
  • Registration: Open until October 29 at 4:00 p.m. at CITAEM (Municipal Palace).
    
• Beachfront Ceremony and Parade
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. onward
  • Location: Playa Eufemia
  • Details: The final evening will culminate in a coastal ceremony honoring the souls of the departed. Altars facing the sea will glow with candles as waves crash softly nearby. Visitors are encouraged to bring insect repellent and umbrellas.
    

The Meaning of Janal Pixán

In the Yucatán Peninsula, Janal Pixán carries a meaning distinct from the broader Día de Muertos traditions. Rooted in Maya cosmology, it reflects a cyclical view of life and death — not as opposites, but as interconnected states. Families prepare altars with mucbipollo (a large tamal baked underground), copal incense, and marigold flowers to guide the spirits home.

For locals, the act of building an altar or lighting a candle is both remembrance and resistance — a way to preserve cultural memory amid modernization and tourism.

Balancing Tradition and Tourism

Tulum’s Janal Pixán Festival has grown into a model of cultural preservation within a major tourist destination. Through partnerships between municipal authorities, local artisans, and the hospitality sector, the festival offers both authentic experiences and educational outreach.

Hotels and restaurants across the Riviera Maya will participate with themed dinners, art installations, and storytelling sessions that explain the meaning behind the altars’ elements — from sugar skulls symbolizing life’s sweetness to marigolds representing the sun and rebirth.

A Living Bridge Between Worlds

Unlike the massive parades of Mexico City, Janal Pixán Tulum remains intimate and deeply personal. The rhythmic beat of drums, the aroma of copal, and the sight of flickering candles turn the town into a shared space of reflection.

As the festival grows, it continues to connect the old and the new — the Maya underworld of Xibalbá and the cosmopolitan Tulum of today. For visitors, it’s not just a photo opportunity but a rare chance to witness a living tradition rooted in continuity and respect.omy, and Mayan traditions unite to honor the memory of the faithful departed and strengthen the cultural identity of the municipality.