Xcaret hosts Festival of Life and Death from 30 October

Xcaret hosts the Festival of Life and Death from 30 October to 2 November 2026 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The twentieth edition brings Guanajuato into the park with theatre, music, dance, workshops, exhibitions, altars and culinary traditions.

Festival of Life and Death runs for four days

The organiser says the main programme will spread through plazas, paths and other areas rather than remaining in one venue. The programme includes regional theatre, guided walks, concerts, folkloric performances, craft displays and activities connected with the Day of the Dead.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 30 October at the park esplanade. The festival's programme also names the Gran Tlachco as the venue for a gala concert by Pandora and Flans on 31 October. The gala is separate from the wider festival programme. The organiser's 2026 festival programme lists Guanajuato as the guest state and details performances across the four-day period.

The official event page describes the festival as a family programme built around food, offerings, altars, workshops, handicrafts, exhibitions, theatre, dance and gala concerts. It places the event at Xcaret and gives the period as 30 October to 2 November 2026.

Guanajuato programme meets a park opened in 1990

The festival's connection with the site is practical as well as thematic. The organiser uses the park's existing spaces, including the esplanade, open-air forum, ball-game court, main plaza and Gran Tlachco, to distribute performances and displays across the visit.

Grupo Xcaret's history records that the park opened in December 1990. Its development began after architect Miguel Quintana Pali discovered cenotes and underground rivers on land in the Riviera Maya. The custodian describes the site as combining regional nature with Mexican culture, which explains why the 2026 programme joins natural surroundings with living traditions from Guanajuato and Quintana Roo. The park's history supplies the opening year and background.

Visiting Xcaret: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Festival of Life and Death takes place at Xcaret from 30 October to 2 November 2026, with the main programme distributed around the park.
• The festival adds theatre, music, dance, exhibitions, workshops and altars to the site's usual natural and cultural attractions. The Pandora and Flans gala is scheduled for 31 October at Gran Tlachco and is separate from the wider festival programme.
• Xcaret is in Playa del Carmen on the Chetumal-Puerto Juarez Federal Highway at kilometre 282, in Quintana Roo. The operator identifies the park as south of Playa del Carmen and provides access information on its official travel page.
• Spanish is the official language used for local administration and the Mexican peso is the national currency.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

Searching for Xcaret on social platforms

These links open searches for Xcaret on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Xcaret

When does the Festival of Life and Death take place at Xcaret?

The twentieth edition runs from 30 October to 2 November 2026 at Xcaret in Playa del Carmen.

What is the Festival of Life and Death at Xcaret?

It is a four-day cultural programme featuring theatre, music, dance, workshops, exhibitions, altars and culinary traditions, with Guanajuato as the 2026 guest state.

Where is Xcaret and how do you get there?

Xcaret is on the Chetumal-Puerto Juarez Federal Highway at kilometre 282 in Quintana Roo, south of Playa del Carmen.