What's On in Cancún This Winter: November to March

Cancún works hardest between November and March. The weather clears, the flights fill, and the city runs something worth planning around in most weeks of the season. This is what is on, with dates where they are confirmed and last year’s pattern where a 2027 programme has not been published yet.

November: Day of the Dead opens the season

Janal Pixan runs from late October to 2 November and is the biggest thing in the city’s cultural calendar. It drew 100,000 visitors in 2025 and is expected to pass 125,000 this year. The programme runs across four days, centred on Puerto Juárez and Parque de las Palapas: a maritime procession, the theatrical Muerte de los Suspiros staging, Catrinas, contests and live performances. Most of it is free and most of it happens after dark.

The Cancún Jazz Festival returns for its autumn edition in mid November at Iberostar Paraíso Resort. Later in the month, Ember Shores (20 to 22 November) takes over Barceló Riviera Maya near Xpu Ha, an all inclusive electronic music festival headlined this year by ILLENIUM.

December: the boat show, then New Year

The Cancún International Boat Show runs 4 to 6 December at La Isla Shopping Village, with more than 40 luxury yacht brands, in water and on shore displays, and live water sports demonstrations. General admission is free.

South of the city, the Xcaret Christmas Festival stages traditional posada reenactments from 16 to 24 December at Xcaret Park and Hotel Xcaret México, with the tallest Christmas tree in the Mexican Caribbean, nativity scenes and carol concerts. It is free with park admission.

New Year’s Eve is the loudest night of the season. The Forum and the Punta Cancún beach clubs host the biggest celebrations on the coast, with DJs and midnight fireworks over the bay.

January: four weekends of resort festivals

January is when Cancún’s all inclusive resorts become concert venues. Four consecutive weekends of destination music events at Moon Palace and Hard Rock Riviera Maya draw audiences who fly in for the lineup alone. Each is sold as a single package covering music, accommodation, transfers, dining and excursions.

• Out of the Blue, 7 to 10 January, Moon Palace. Noah Kahan, with Hayley Williams and Mt. Joy.
• Crash My Playa, 13 to 16 January, Moon Palace. Luke Bryan, with Thomas Rhett, HARDY and Dustin Lynch.
• My Morning Jacket: One Big Holiday, 14 to 18 January, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Modest Mouse, Spoon, Wednesday, Durand Jones, Kevin Morby and DJ sets from Chromeo.
• Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, 20 to 23 January, Moon Palace. The tenth annual edition, with Goose and Sierra Ferrell.
• Phish: Riviera Maya, 27 to 30 January, Moon Palace. Guests include James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Questlove.

February and March: carnival, then the half marathon

Carnival is the last big winter event and the dates move every year with Easter. Ash Wednesday falls on 10 February 2027, so expect the celebrations in the week or two before it. Carnaval Cancún typically runs for six days and opens with the Quema del Mal Humor, the burning of bad mood. The 2026 edition ran 12 to 17 February; 2027 dates are not yet confirmed.

The Cancún Half Marathon is confirmed for 7 March 2027, the twelfth edition, held on International Women’s Day. It starts at 06:30 at the Tajamár Malecón and runs a full 21K alongside 10K and 5K races.

Worth knowing: Cozumel Carnival and Isla Mujeres Carnival fall in mid February and are a short ferry away, and the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival has appeared in Playa del Carmen in late November in recent years, though it is unconfirmed for 2026.

Planning a trip around it

If one of these has you booking flights, it is worth seeing the place properly while you are here. We sell across Cancún and the coast south of it, and a viewing slots easily into a trip built around a festival weekend. The season between November and March is also simply the best time to look: the weather is clear, the town is awake, and you see it at its busiest rather than at its quietest.

Sources: Riviera Maya News (Janal Pixan visitor projections, Boat Show, Carnaval Cancún), EDM Identity (Ember Shores), Relix and JamBase (the Moon Palace and Hard Rock programmes), Crash My Playa and Cancún Half Marathon official sites. Dates marked as confirmed come from official or organiser announcements. Where a 2027 programme has not been published, the previous year’s dates are given as a guide and labelled as such.