Los Cabos Holiday Calendar: Day of the Dead, Carnival, Feast Days, and Events Worth Planning Around

The Cabo that most tourists see is all-inclusive resorts, Medano Beach bars, and sunset cruises. The Cabo that residents know runs on a different calendar entirely — one built around patron saint feast days, national holidays, weekly art walks, and cultural events that shut down streets, fill plazas with live music, and remind you every few weeks that you live in Mexico, not just at a beach.

The Year-Round Cultural Calendar

Here's the event calendar that shapes life in Los Cabos — organized by month, covering everything from national holidays to local celebrations to recurring weekly events.

January

• January 1 — New Year's Day (Año Nuevo): National holiday. Most businesses closed. Fireworks over the harbor on New Year's Eve are visible from Pedregal, the marina, and Medano Beach.
• January 6 — Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day): The traditional Mexican gift-giving holiday (more culturally significant than Christmas for gift exchange in many Mexican families). Bakeries sell rosca de reyes — the ring-shaped sweet bread with a hidden figurine inside.
• Whale season peak: Gray whales and humpback whales are in the waters around Los Cabos through March. See our whale watching guide for timing and tours.

February

• Día de la Constitución (first Monday of February): National holiday. Banks and government offices closed. Creates a long weekend (puente) that brings domestic tourists to Los Cabos.
• February 14 — Día del Amor y la Amistad: Valentine's Day, but in Mexico it's also celebrated as "Friendship Day" — expect restaurants to be packed for both romantic dinners and friend celebrations. Book a week ahead.
• La Paz Carnival (dates vary, typically late February): The state capital's biggest annual event. Parades with elaborate floats, live music stages, street dancing, queen coronation, food vendors, and a city-wide party atmosphere that runs several days. Two hours north of Cabo but absolutely worth the trip — it's one of Mexico's oldest and most spirited Carnival celebrations, predating the tourist era by more than a century.

March-April

• Natalicio de Benito Juárez (third Monday of March): National holiday honoring Mexico's most revered president. Another puente weekend — Cabo fills with Mexican families from mainland cities.
• Semana Santa / Easter (dates vary): The biggest domestic tourism week of the year in Los Cabos. Mexican families from Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey flood the hotels and beaches. Property owners should know: if you rent your place short-term, Semana Santa commands peak pricing. If you live here, book restaurant reservations far in advance and avoid Medano Beach (it will be standing-room-only).
• Art Walk season continues: Every Thursday evening through June in San Jose del Cabo's art district.

May-June

• May 1 — Día del Trabajo (Labor Day): National holiday. Some businesses closed; government offices shuttered.
• May 5 — Cinco de Mayo: Contrary to what Americans think, this is not Mexico's biggest holiday — it commemorates the Battle of Puebla and is mostly a regional celebration in Puebla state. In Los Cabos, it's observed casually. The bars in the tourist zone celebrate it more than the locals do.
• May 10 — Día de las Madres: Mother's Day. One of Mexico's most widely and sincerely celebrated holidays. Restaurants are packed — many families celebrate with multi-generational lunches. Book ahead or eat at home.
• Last Art Walk of the season (late May/June): Galleries shift to summer hours as the snowbird community departs.
• Fishing tournament season begins: The first organized offshore tournaments kick off in late May/June. See our tournament calendar.

July-August

• Low season / chubasco season: Tourism thins. Temperatures peak. Summer storms arrive. This is the quiet season for expats — fewer crowds, easier restaurant reservations, and a slower pace. Many long-term residents consider this their favorite time of year.
• Cabo summer events: Various bars, restaurants, and venues host summer concert series and events to draw the local crowd. Check local social media and expat Facebook groups for weekly lineups.

September

• September 15-16 — Mexican Independence Day: The biggest national celebration of the year. September 15 is the Grito de Independencia — the ceremonial re-enactment of Father Hidalgo's cry for independence, led by the municipal president in the main plaza at 11 PM. Both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo hold celebrations with live music, food vendors, fireworks, and thousands of residents waving Mexican flags. September 16 is the official holiday — banks and offices closed, parades in the morning.

For expats, attending the Grito in a packed plaza — watching your neighbors shout "¡Viva México!" while fireworks light up the harbor — is one of those moments that transforms "I bought a property here" into "I live here."

October

• October 18 — Fiestas de San Lucas: The patron saint festival of Cabo San Lucas, celebrating San Lucas (Saint Luke). This is the most authentically local event on the calendar — parades through downtown, carnival rides and games, live music stages, street food vendors, and fireworks. The festivities typically span several days around October 18. If you want to see Cabo San Lucas as a Mexican town rather than a resort destination, this is the week.
• Bisbee's tournaments (late October): The tournament scene transforms the marina district. See our tournament guide for details.

November

• November 1-2 — Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): Mexico's most iconic cultural celebration. Families build ofrendas (altars) honoring deceased loved ones with photographs, candles, marigolds, favorite foods, and personal belongings. In San Jose del Cabo, the main plaza and Boulevard Mijares host community ofrendas, face-painting stations, musical processions, and cultural events. Many restaurants offer special menus featuring pan de muerto (sweet bread baked for the occasion) and traditional dishes.

For expats, Day of the Dead is the cultural event that most profoundly shifts your understanding of where you live. It's not morbid — it's joyful, communal, and deeply beautiful. The San Jose celebration is more community-oriented and less tourist-packaged than Cabo San Lucas's version.

• Revolution Day (third Monday of November): National holiday. Another puente weekend.
• Art Walk season resumes: Thursday evening gallery openings return for the November-June high season.
• Whale season begins: First sightings of gray whales arriving in Baja waters.

December

• December 12 — Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe: The feast day of Mexico's patron saint. Processions, church services, and celebrations across Los Cabos. The lead-up includes nightly posadas (neighborhood procession and parties) in Mexican communities for the nine nights before Christmas.
• December 16-24 — Las Posadas: Nine nights of neighborhood processions re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter. In Mexican neighborhoods like Fonatur and La Playita, families host posada gatherings with ponche (warm fruit punch), buñuelos, piñatas, and singing. Expats who participate — or host — are welcomed warmly.
• December 24-25 — Nochebuena / Navidad: Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) is the main celebration for Mexican families — a late dinner, midnight mass (Misa de Gallo), and gift exchange. Christmas Day itself is quieter. For the expat community, both American and Mexican Christmas traditions blend together in a way that's uniquely Cabo.
• December 31 — New Year's Eve: Fireworks over the harbor, parties at marina restaurants and clubs, and the tradition of wearing yellow underwear for good luck (don't ask, just do it). Peak tourism week — everything is full and priced accordingly.

Understanding Puentes (Long Weekends)

Mexico's national holidays are often shifted to create puentes — bridge weekends — similar to the US practice of moving holidays to Mondays. For Los Cabos residents, puentes matter because they bring surges of domestic tourism from mainland Mexico. Constitution Day, Benito Juárez Day, and Revolution Day all create three-day weekends that fill hotels, pack beaches, and make restaurant reservations essential.

Semana Santa (Easter week) and the December holiday period (roughly December 20 through January 6) are the two longest and most impactful tourism surges. If you're renting your property short-term, these are peak-pricing windows. If you're living here, they're the weeks to stock up on groceries and enjoy your home rather than fighting for a beach chair.

The Expat Event Calendar

Beyond Mexican national holidays and cultural celebrations, the Los Cabos expat community runs its own calendar of recurring events:

• Thursday Art Walk (November-June): The anchor social event for the cultural expat community. Galleries, wine, conversation, and a weekly excuse to dress up slightly and walk the streets of downtown San Jose. See our art district guide.
• Saturday Organic Market: Weekly at the UABCS campus in San Jose. As much a social event as a grocery run — live music, artisan coffee, and the organic produce scene. See our farmers market guide.
• Various charity events: The Los Cabos expat community supports numerous local charities through annual galas, golf tournaments, and fundraising events, particularly during the November-April high season.
• Sports leagues: Softball, pickleball, tennis, and golf leagues operate throughout the expat community. Ask at any gym or clubhouse for schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions