May cultural festival: everything you need to know
The May Cultural Festival is an annual event held in the state of Jalisco. During this festival, which this year runs from May 7 to 24, a variety of cultural events are presented, such as concerts, plays, art exhibitions, dance, cinema and more. The festival aims to promote and celebrate cultural diversity, both national and international, and to provide access to high quality artistic and cultural activities for the local community and visitors. This is one of the most important festivals of its kind in the country, so if you are interested in living a few days of pure culture, rent a car with Hertz Mexico and visit each of the places we tell you about below.
Venues and events 2024
This year marks the 27th edition of the May Cultural Festival and, as always, it has prepared a large number of proposals to be held in different locations in the municipalities of Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque, Zapopan and Lagos de Moreno. According to the calendar of activities and in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, there will be various activities that will have Ludwig Van Beethoven as the main figure. However, there will also be art exhibitions, jazz bands, circus, among others. Most of the proposals are located in Guadalajara and its metropolitan area, so you can opt for car rental with Hertz Mexico and move from one place to another to enjoy the activities you want.
Guadalajara
The main host of Guadalajara is the Teatro Degollado, where the official opening of the Festival will take place, with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco presenting Ludwig Van Beethoven's Ninth “Choral” Symphony. This spectacular concert can be enjoyed on May 7, 8 and 9. On the following days, you can participate in the introductory talk to the cycle of the 32 Beethoven sonatas by Lázaro Azar, pianist, musicologist and historian, and the Complete Cycle of the 32 Beethoven Sonatas by Llŷr Williams, pianist from the United Kingdom. In addition, both in the Lobby and the esplanade of the theater there will be different proposals and exhibitions during all the days of the Festival, such as “Enrique Oroz paints Beethoven”. However, not all the proposals are related to the famous musician, you can also enjoy Arturo de la Torre Jazz Orchestra with his “Jalisco Jazz Suite”, performing a tribute to great composers of Jalisco, Jesus Carmona from Spain with “Baile de bestias” and the Attacca Quartet. On the other hand, at the Juarez SITEUR station you can visit from May 7 to June 7 the Sculpture Walk, with large format sculptures. At the Raul Anguiano MURA Museum the collective exhibition “Sobre soñar hemos soñado”. And at Foro el 790 the contemporary circus performance “En la lona: Un fracaso de Juan Méndez”.
Tlaquepaque
About 20 minutes from downtown Guadalajara is the municipality of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, another of the places chosen to be part of the May 2024 Cultural Festival. At the Pantaleón Panduro National Ceramics Award Museum in this town you can visit, from May 8 to 31, “1200°”, an exhibition of contemporary ceramics. In addition, on May 15, at the San Pedro Apóstol parish church, José Manuel Alcántara will perform with his guitar concert.
Zapopan
To get to the municipality of Zapopan in a rental car, you should drive about 20 minutes west of downtown Guadalajara. This place will host several of the Festival's proposals that will take place in different parts of the city, so it is best to rent a car and drive your own itinerary. Some of the places you can visit to live a unique artistic experience are the Public Library of the State of Jalisco “Juan José Arreola” and the Municipal Palace of Zapopan where “La vuelta al niño y los castillos de arena”, an exhibition of Dionysos, plastic arts, will be presented. One of the highlights of this edition is the exhibition of urban art in third dimension “Zapopan 3D” that will take place in 9 venues in the municipality of Zapopan, among them:
- Centro Cultural Constitución.
- Atemajac del Valle, Zapopan.
- Children's Park.
- Las Águilas Administrative Unit.
- Zapopan Circus Arts Center.
In addition, the esplanade of the parish of Nuestra Señora del Refugio will be the stage for a guitar concert by José Manuel Alcántara and another by Sergio Medina and Hugo Gracián.
Lagos de Moreno
At the Teatro José Rosas Moreno in Lagos de Moreno, about 180 km from Guadalajara, on May 21, Attacca Quartet, a group from the United States that won the 2020 and 2023 Grammy for best small ensemble or chamber music performance, will perform. In addition, this is a city rich in history and natural beauty, with a historic center declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is a cultural treasure with centuries-old churches and picturesque squares. So you can take advantage of the day and tour it with a rental car to discover the colonial charm, cobblestone streets and baroque architecture.
Temples GDL
Other venues planned for this Festival are the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the parish church of El Calvario. In the former, on Wednesday, May 8, you can enjoy the CORO UP, directed by Isaac Abraham Cisneros Aguirre. While the El Calvario parish is preparing to receive the Zapopan Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Enrique Radillo Varela on Wednesday, May 22. As you could see, this year the May Cultural Festival has many diverse proposals that you can visit. Don't miss any of them, rent a car with Hertz Mexico and delight yourself with local and international talent.