Home » World Traveler » World Views
» Performing Arts Mexico City
Music, dance, theatre, and performance art headline the cultural calendars in all of Night+Day’s cool cities. We combed through dozens of annual performing arts festivals worldwide, and here are the best of the best.
The Draw: Europe’s top new jazz talents come to town. The Scene: Presented by the European embassies and hosted by the country’s largest arts venue, the Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART), Eurojazz has become one of the city’s best musical offerings. The month-long festival highlights a dozen or so different new jazz talents from as many countries throughout the continent. Shows take place at CENART’s open-air Plaza de las Artes at 5pm on Saturdays and 4pm on Sundays (and some Fridays) throughout the month of March. Recent performers include Belgium’s Jef Neve Trio; Poland’s Pink Freud, which fuses jazz, contemporary rock, and electronica; as well as the Netherlands’ funk-driven Rare Groove Orchestra. Now going into its 12th year, Eurojazz’s attendance has grown exponentially. Last year, more than 9,000 people were grooving to the Czech Republic’s James Band. All shows are free. Hot Tip: Even though festival promoters have moved show times to later in the afternoon (they used to be at 1:30pm), the Plaza de las Artes still gets tons of sun. Bring a comfy cushion, hat, sunscreen, water, and a snack—for some odd reason, CENART’s restaurants are closed on weekends.
Festival de México en el Centro Histórico March to April, various venues festival.org.mx
The Draw: This is, hands down, the city’s most important performing-arts festival, presenting close to 1,000 artists from Mexico and the world. The Scene: Every year for 18 days following Holy Week, the bustling Historic Center of the city transforms into the backdrop of the country’s largest cultural celebration. Expect all kinds of music, dance, opera, theatre, visual arts, kids’ activities, and even academic conferences at every corner and hour throughout the area. More than street performances, you can also catch big names at private venues such as the Teatro de la Ciudad, Bellas Artes, and the Auditorio Nacional. Hot Tip: The 2009 edition runs March 11–29and will be bigger than ever, as the festival celebrates its 25th anniversary. Best of all, no lining up is necessary: The schedule and pre-sale tickets are up for grabs as of the beginning of November on the festival website.
The Draw: A month-long festival beginning at the end of April celebrating music and cultures of resistance. The Scene: Hosted by the city’s southern delegation of Tlalpan, this colorful and eclectic festival of world music (and gastronomy and theatre) spreads to some 40 open-air venues throughout the metropolis, including the Zócalo in the Historic Center. Expect more than 100 different musical acts, the majority of which are international. All concerts are free; check the Web page starting in January for dates. Hot Tip: You’ll need toarrive an hour early tothe festival’s principal stages (in particular, the Deportivo Vivanco and Parque de Loreto y Peña Pobre). Bring a picnic to the latter, as it has lots of grassy areas on which to sit and enjoy the shows.
