Live Music
FRIDAY
• Blackwater Rock N Blue Band plays the Ajijic Spot, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
• Elizze Full Band plays 4to Sentido, 5 to 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
• The Carolina Mercado Jazz Quartet performs at 6:30 p.m. at the Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo. Free entry.
SUNDAY
• Jazz saxophone duo Húuta, consisting of musicians Sara Ventura and Guillermo Valadez, will perform Sunday, April 26, at 12:30 p.m. at the Centro Cultural González Gallo. Free entry.
• Ballet Folklorico Ixtlacateol will perform at the third Chapala Monumental Folklorico Fiesta to be held Sunday, April 26, noon, on Chapala’s main plaza. Other events will be at the Centro Cultural Antigua Presidencia
COMING SOON
• The Street Dogs play Thursday, April 30, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at 4to Sentido. No Cover. Reservations: 334-669-3622.
• The Charlie Cook band takes to the stage at La Bodega de Ajijic, Thursday, April 30, 5 p.m. No cover.
• The Eleazar “Chuco” Soto jazz quartet performs a special concert of reinterpretations of traditional Mexican music on Tuesday, May 5, 6:30 p.m. at Letra CH Hotel and Spa. Tickets, 200 pesos presale and 350 pesos at the door, are available at Letra CH, Kinda Bazar and Panchos Deli Market (West and Riberas).
Dance Festival
Some 2,000 dancers will bring Mexico’s culture and color to Lakeside on Sunday, April 26, beginning at noon on the Chapala Malecon.
Exhibits
• Paintings by Arlette Romero and sculptures by David Agredano are on view in “Dos Visiones,” an exhibit at the Galería Luis López Terriquez in the Antigua Presidencia in Chapala.
• Forty-two graphic artists from Lakeside and Guadalajara unite for the second edition of Lagografias, contemporary graphic arts showcasing many different styles, at the Centro Cultural Ajijic.
5th Michicihualli Festival
Celebrate the Lake’s mythical goddess Michichihualli Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, beginning at 11 a.m. at La Cochera Cultural, Javier Mina 49 in Ajijic. On tap are workshops, live music, a prize wheel, food, dialogue, an art exhibition, a market, local projects, a puppet show and a book launch. Free entrance.
Spiritual Film Fest
Chapala will be a host venue for the Festival Internacional de Cine Espiritual (FICES 2026), screening 14 films from Thursday, April 30 to Wednesday, May 13, at venues such as Cinemas del Lago, Plaza Bugambilias in Ajijic, and Chapala’s Centro Cultural Antigua Presidencia, the former town hall on Avenida Madero.
The program is promoted by the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Communication, which aims to position cinema as a platform for reflection, dialogue and social interaction.
Notable titles include “Brother,” the story of two Canadian brothers of Jamaican descent growing up in the Scarborough district of Toronto in the early 1990s. Another outstanding film on the bill is “It Was Just an Accident,” the brilliant Jafar Panahi exposé of moral dilemmas, justice and retribution in Iran that won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as France’s submission for Best International Feature Film for the 2026 Academy Awards. Other films are “Allá,” “Tomorrou” and “Bendito Corazon.”
Art event
Art in the Plaza has changed its name, location and schedule, but returns to its beginnings exhibiting arts and crafts. The event is now called Baz-Art Lounge and will be held at Johnny’s Lounge & Cocktails, the first Saturday of the month (May 2), 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Art Connection and Grupo Hokary are the organizers.