Carnaval 2026 – Thursday February 12 – Tuesday February 17

 

Carnaval in Mazatlán is one of the largest and oldest in the world — a six-day celebration that brings together more than a million people along our beautiful coastline. Over the 128 years, it becomes more spectacular every year.  In 2025, 1.2 million joined the party, cheering on 32 floats and 12 stages of live music. Cultura is already hard at work auditioning hundreds of dancers, musicians, and performers.

The theme was announced on November 20, via coloured drones – “Arriba La Tambora!” The tambora is a large double-headed drum played with sticks. It has a deep booming sound that drives the rhythm in Sinaloan banda music. It’s the rhythmic backbone of banda. There’s no real translation for “Arriba La Tambora” in English, but it roughly means celebrate our music, our rhythm our identity. “Long live the Tambora!”. Or, “Let the Tambora Rise!”. This will set the creative tone for everything from the parades to the monigotes (giant papier-mâché figures) that brighten the Malecón from the Machado to the Family Monument.

The street fiesta on Olas Altas is the heart of the celebration — $70 pesos entry [to be confirmed], cash only. Expect long line-ups, his and her security gates, and entrances from Rigoberto Lewis to Sixto Osuna. It’s lively, crowded, and filled with good cheer — though definitely not for anyone who prefers quiet evenings. Travel light: no handbags or wallets, just ID photocopies, some cash for food and drinks, and your sense of adventure. There are 38 porta-potties along Olas Altas – bring your own tissues!.

Carnaval is a true reflection of Mazatlán’s spirit — joyful, musical, and larger than life. Whether you’re on the streets, watching from a balcony, or simply soaking up the atmosphere, it’s a time when the entire city comes together to celebrate tradition and creativity by the sea.

There are nine young women vying to be the queen of Carnaval and they spend months gathering votes and money from friends. The campaigning is taken very seriously. For women entering the contest who wish to be queen, the rules are: born in Mazatlan or lived in Mazatlan for three years, can’t be a mother, nor pregnant, nor married and you must be between the ages of 17 – 25 on the day of the election. [Our current mayor of Mazatlan is Estrella Palacios Dominguez, she is an ex-Carnaval Queen, meaning there as so many opportunities for queens in the future.]

For six nights, 6 pm. until around 4 am. the All -Access Street party takes place – from Centro’s Zaragoza to the Freeman Hotel/Best Western [Paseo Claussen and Olas Altas] it’s one long stream of people dancing in the street to all the music blasting from 12 stages. The beer is flowing and dozens of grills are smokin’ hot.

PRE-CARNAVAL PARADES/EVENTS: 

 

 

Friday January 16: second parade, segunda manifestación, Av. Leonismo Internacional, 4 pm. The parade is expected to last almost 3 hours. The route: from Av. Leonismo in front of Parque Central, Av. Ejército Mexicano, Juan Carrasco, Aquiles Serdán, Miguel Alemán, Olas Altas, Angel Flores and concludes in the Plazuela República with music by Grupo Fussion. Candiates for kings, queens and child queen will all be participating.

 

Friday January 23: Final Tally of Candidates,/cómputo final,  Plazuela Republica, 6 pm, always live music and tonight is when all the votes are tallied.

 

Friday January 24: The Election of the Queens, Elección de Reinas, Angela Peralta Theater, 7 pm. – judges ask difficult questions as the young women remain calm and cool in their sky-high stilettos.

 

Friday February 6: Presentation of the winner of the literature prize, presentación Premio Mazatlán de Literatura, Casa Haas, 7 pm.

 

Saturday February 7: Velada de las Artes – the night of arts, usually with guest conductors, a full orchestra and lots of surprise musical guests, Angela Peralta Theater, 8 pm.

Thursday February 12: Coronatión of the King, Coronació Rey de la Alegria.  Estadio Toeodoro Mariscal/Baseball Stadium,7:30 pm. Headliner: Eden Muñoz, $500 – $3000. Edén Muñoz , born in Los Mochis, is one of Mexico’s most influential regional music stars — a powerhouse singer, songwriter, and producer from Sinaloa. He started playing the guitar at age 8 and by his early teens he was already had local gigs lined up. After leading the chart-topping band Calibre 50, he launched a wildly successful solo career with hits like ¡Chale! Known for his unmistakable voice and emotional songwriting, Edén has become a bridge between traditional Mexican musical roots – preserving tradition while innovating.

 

Friday February 13:  Coronation pageant for Queen of the flower games/Coronación Reina de los Juegos Florales. Estadio Teodoro Mariscal/ Baseball Stadium 8:30 pm. Tonight marks a historic turning point with “Arriba la Tambora,: A Once-in-a Generation Carnaval Spectacle” – an ambitious, large-scale musical fusion created exclusively for Carnaval and dedicated to Don Germán Lizárraga’s 75-year legacy alongside the 25th anniversary of the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra of the Arts (OSSLA) — a symbolic 100 years of musical influence brought together on one stage. This is not a typical coronation show. It is a full symphonic-banda fusion, designed to run for hours, with original arrangements written specifically to unite OSSLA, Banda Estrellas de Sinaloa, a professional choir, and some of the most recognized voices in banda music — performing their own hits backed by a symphony orchestra.

What makes Arriba la Tambora truly different is the concept:
This is not banda with operatic vocals, nor a symphony “featuring” banda as a guest. Instead, it is a complete musical merger, where traditional tambora sound and academic orchestration meet as equals — powerful, emotional, and unmistakably Sinaloan. The program traces the music Don Germán Lizárraga helped take to the world beginning in the 1950s, reimagined through two symphonic medleys that honor Mazatlán’s deep banda roots while elevating them to a grand, modern stage. This is more than a concert. It is a cultural milestone — created in Mazatlán, for Mazatlán, and rooted in the music that defines the city. $300 – $2,200.

Saturday February 14: Coronation pageant for the Queen of Carnaval/Coronación Reina del Carnaval.  Estadio Teodoro Mariscal/ Baseball Stadium, 6:30 pm. Yurida sin llorar, $500 – $2700. Yuridia, born in Hermisillo, is one of Mexico’s most powerful and beloved vocalists, known for her soaring voice and emotional ballads. She broke out on La Academia and quickly became a chart-topping artist with multiplatinum albums and sold-out tours. Today she’s considered one of the country’s most influential pop singers, adored for her dramatic stage presence and unforgettable vocals. Her music blends pop, ballads and more recently regional Mexican influences. Her fans say “she puts her heart into her songs”

Saturday February 14 : Burning of the Bad Humour/Quema del mal humor. Always a surprise, as Mazatleco love to vote for “their person” to go up in smoke. In 2025 it was Rodolfo “El Fofo” Marquez – violence against women who was sentenced to17 years in prison. The small parade begins at 8:30 p.m. on Zaragoza and Aquiles Serdan and ends with “the burning” on Avenida del Mar, 9:00 pm. Free.[95,000 people attended in 2025.]

Saturday February 14 : Combate Naval/ Naval battle fought on the water [and the shore] with fireworks that will be launched on Olas Altas at around 11 pm. It’s never too early to start thinking about reserving your viewing spot with friends, hotels, etc. These choreographed fireworks to music are not to be missed. Free. [95,000 people attended in 2025]

Sunday February 15: First Carnaval Parade/Primer Desfile de Carnaval, starts around 5:30 p.m. To be confirmed but most likely: Fisherman’s Monument/Monumento al Pescador and goes north to Valentino’s on Rafael Buelna. Themed floats – promotional floats are the first, then there’s a lag time of an hour until the “real themed Carnaval” floats appear. That’s when you see the King, Child Queen and The Queen – you won’t see them on the promotional floats. Unlike any other parade you have ever seen – party like a Mazatleco! Free. The route with approximate times: 5:30, Av. Rotarismo; 6, Hotel de Cima; 7, Lola Beltrán; 7:30 Hotel de Sol; 7:45 Olas Altas Inn 8, El Toro Bravo; 8:30 Valentino’s.  [In 2025, 450,000 people lined the streets, there were 32 floats and the parade took about four hours.]

 

Monday February 16: Children’s Costume Ball/Baile Infantil, Angela Peralta Theater 10:00 am.- a new venue to highlight the creativity for the child queen candidates in two main categories. Fantasty – costumes made with sparkle sequins and embroidery. Dance – choreographies – solo, in pairs or group. It’s open to the public and you can buy tickets at the Angela Peralta box office, $250. Winners will receive prizes ranging from $6,000 – $14,000.

 

Monday February 16: Coronation of the Child Queen of Carnaval/Coronación de la Reina  Infantil. Baseball Stadium, Estadio Teodoro Mariscal. Lara Campos 5 pm.and Belinda Peregrin 7 pm. $500 – $2700.Lara Campos is Mexico’s newest kids’ sensation — a young singer and actress with millions of fans, known for her bubbly pop hits and TV roles. She brings high-energy fun to every stage. Lara represents a new generation of young entertainers combining acting, music and digital-age creator work. Belinda Peregrin, born in Spain, is a Mexican pop icon — a powerhouse singer, actress, and style star with a two-decade career of chart-toppers and headline-grabbing performances. Belinda has been one of the most successful female latin-pop arts of her generation, both in Mexico and internationally. Her ability to evolve from child star to pop icon, to mature artist exploring new sounds – shows her versatility and resilience in the entertainment industry.

Monday February 16: More free entertainment at night on Olas Altas at 10 pm.

 

Tuesday February 17: Second Carnaval Parade/Segundo Desfile de Carnaval, 4:30 pm. To be confirmed but most likely: from the Aquarium south along the Malecon to Miguel Aleman. It’s a mini version of the Sunday parade, but still has many of the fabulous floats. The route and the approximate times: 4:30, Av. de los Deportes; 5, Lola Beltrán; 5:45, Hotel de Cima; 6, Hotel Plaza Marina; 7:15, Av. Zaragoza; and then along around 7:35 Olas Altas.