On the basis of a survey conducted among Ajijic residents and business owners, the Andador Axixic street festival will be continued every weekend with some minor adjustments.
The poll numbers showed that 433 out of 595 people answering the short questionnaire gave a thumbs up to the project, which involves closing the two blocks of Calle Morelos located between Calle Constitución-Ocampo and the town pier to make up a pedestrian zone where restaurants and shops can move outside to cater to customers.
The Andador will now operate only on Saturdays and Sundays, with activities suspended on Friday afternoon. Morelos will be blocked to traffic from 2 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday, except for early morning deliveries of commercial supplies.
Armando Toledo, manager of La Casa del Café, said the Andador has already proven to be a plus for the restaurant sector, “increasing business revenues and new job opportunities for part-time help.”
Spaces are also being allotted to artists and craftsmen who wish to sell their merchandise. The street fair is further enhanced by musicians and performers lined up for afternoon and after-dark entertainment.
Some shopkeepers, however, are less enthusiastic, sensing no significant benefit from the street’s closure, and noting a drop off in weekend business.
The restaurateurs’ pledge to install signage and arrange police to direct traffic and prevent congestion has so far failed to meet expectations.
Andador Axixic is modeled after similar culinary street fairs run in Mexican tourist destinations such as Tlaquepaque, Mazamitla, San Miguel de Allende, San Cristóbal de las Casas and other hotspots around the globe.