Guadalajara’s May Cultural Festival got underway on Thursday night with a stunning performance by the Malandain Ballet Biarritz at the Degollado Theater.
The Degollado will host the headline performances of the festival, whose invited country this year is France. There are also plenty of additional events going on around the city through the end of the month, many of them free of charge.
Popping up at various sites around the city next week will be Les Souffleurs, or poetic commandos, who, according to their website, “propose a poetic metaphor of the anonymous informative flood, by whispering poetic, philosophical, and literary secrets in people’s ears through hollow canes, therefore contrasting general uncertainty of particulars with tenderness’ provocative posture.” They are a collection of actors, writers, plastic artists, singers and musicians, who always wear black and appear in uneven numbers (from 1 to 31). Here’s their schedule:
Saturday, May 11, Hospicio Cabañas, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 12. Mercado de Abastos, noon. Explanada Teatro Degollado, 6 p.m.
Monday, May 13. Mercado Alcalde, noon. Tren Ligero Estación Universidad, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14. Mercado Corona, noon. Tren Ligero Estación San Juan de Dios, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15. Mercado Libertad, noon. Tren Ligero Estación Juárez, 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 16. Mercado Libertad, noon & 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 17. Tianguis Cultural (facing Agua Azul park), 12:30 p.m. Andador Chapultepec, 9 p.m.
Sunday, May 19. Vía Recreactiva, noon. Plaza de la Liberación, 7:30 p.m.
Four art exhibits from France will grace the festival. They are:
- “Paris Sur Seine, Des Anciens Quais A Plages” is a show of drawings, photographs and etchings illustrating the many uses of the famous jetties of the River Seine. At the Alianza Francesa (Lopez Cotilla 1199) from May 7 to 31.
- Photos by Romain “Ojabierto” Thieriot at the Alianza Francesa from May 8 to 31.
- “French Artists in Mexico” features the drawings, paintings and graphic art of Fitzia, Jean-Yves Drouineau, Laurence De Vries, Simone and Henri Jean. At Galeria Vertice (Lerdo de Tejada 2418) from May 15 to June 28.
- “Festival International De La Photographie Culinaire” features photos of that perennial French indulgence: food. At the Ex Convento del Carmen (Av. Juarez 638) from May 11 to June 15.
A cycle of French-Mexican film co-productions will be shown at the Alianza Francesa from May 13 to 27, while “Viajes En Cortos” is a series if film shorts that can be seen at the Tren Ligero Juárez subway station from May 11 to 26.
The Casa Museo Jose Lopez Portillo (Liceo 117) will host wine tastings on Monday, May 20, at 5 and 7 p.m. (registration required).
And well-known French Restaurant Pierrot (Justo Sierra 2355) will be serving a special “festival” menu from May 9 to 26.
Ticket information
Tickets for the Degollado performances start at 100 pesos. No ticket costs more than 350 pesos. They are available from Ticketmaster at (33) 3818-3800 and www.ticketmaster.com.mx or at the Teatro Degollado box office, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call (33) 3614-4773 for more information.