The Fiestas de Octubre is approaching and if you’ve been to a state fair in the United States, you’ll know roughly what to expect, although this city’s version has a distinctly Mexican flavor.
Guadalajara’s annual month-long fair grinds into life on Saturday, October 6 at its traditional site, the Benito Juarez Auditorium complex on the northern Periferico (intersection with Av. Alcalde).
Open daily through November 5, the fair serves up the usual mix of nightly entertainment (mainly popular Mexican bands), mechanical and children’s games, themed pavilions, special children’s shows, and dozens of food and vendors’ booths. There are also late-night cockfights in the palenque arena, which always features top singing acts around midnight.The entry fee to the fiestas is 30 pesos for adults and 15 for children. Gates open at midday. The free concerts begin around 7 p.m, each evening.
The fiestas’ opening parade takes place in downtown Guadalajara on Sunday, October 7, 10 a.m. There will be dozens of creative floats, marching bands, clowns and acrobats. The route runs from the Agua Azul Park along Avenida 16 de Septiembre and Alcalde to La Normal traffic circle.
The city center also hosts free, nightly open-air shows in the Plaza Fundadores behind the Teatro Degollado (starting 7 p.m.), the annual stone masonry contest in the Plaza de la Liberacion (it runs throughout the month), and the Salon de Octubre, a state-wide art competition at the Ex-Convento del Carmen.