The Festivals of Todos Santos: 2015
By Todos Santos Eco Adventures The great Todos Santos festival tradition will continue in 2015, with celebrations of music, film, food, wine, nature, and art filling the entire calendar year. This is a list of the festivals currently scheduled for 2015, and please check back often for updates. For more in-depth coverage of these events, their organizers and other Todos Santos happenings, be sure to check out Wendy Rains’ weekly radio program Todos Santos Weekend with Wendy, as well as Janice Kinne’s magazine, Journal del Pacifico. Please confirm dates for festivals before you book your tickets as organizers sometimes must change dates. ___________________________________________________________________ Todos Santos Music Festival
- Date: January 15-17; January 21-24, 2015
- Organizer: Hotel California and friends
- Details: Confirmed bands and musicians include Joseph Arthur, Kev’n Kinney, Chuck Prophet, Steven Wynn, Drive-By Truckers, Old 97’s, La Santa Cecilia, Conor Oberst, Nortec Collective, M. Ward and Dawes. All shows will be in the Hotel California with the exception of the show on the 24th, which will be in the town plaza.
- Why It’s Fun: Peter Buck of REM conceived of and curates this event. Not only does he play, he invites his musician buddies from the US and Mexico to come play to raise money for the Palapa Society and other Todos Santos charities. And it turns out that Peter Buck’s friends are all these incredibly nice people who are insanely great musicians. It’s nothing but fantastic music and great fun pulsing through the streets of town for nights on end – you don’t want to miss it!
- Inception: 2012
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- Date: February 21-28, 2015
- Organizer: Jorge Barajas
- Why it’s fun: It’s a week-long celebration of Mexican culture that typically features live music, dance and theatre performances, painting and drawing exhibitions, lectures on local environmental and social issues, piano and poetry recitals and lots more. Artisans from different parts of Mexico also set up shop next to the church to sell their crafts. Diverse, fun and engaging.
- Inception: 1997
- Special Note: The Todos Santos Open Artist Studio Tour will be held on Saturday, Feburary 7 and Sunday, February 8, just after the art festival. 38 studios participated in 2014 and mediums included oils, pastels, watercolors, mixed media, encaustic, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Proceeds from the Tour go to the Children’s Art Fund of The Palapa Society Of Todos Santos, A.C. It’s a wonderful event.
___________________________________________________________________ Todos Santos Film Festival / El Festival de Cine de Todos Santos
- Dates: March 12-22, 2015: Film festival events at venues across Todos Santos, Pescadero and La Paz
- Organizer: Sylvia Perel, director of the San Francisco Latino Film Festival and the Latino Festival of Redwood City, California.
- Benefits: Youth in Video program, teaching the children of the Todos Santos area about film making. They usually present a film they’ve made at the festival each year.
- Why it’s fun: This fantastic festival brings together a terrific selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts from across Mexico and Latin America that many folks would otherwise never have the opportunity to see. Many well-known film directors attend to present their films and lead audience discussions. It’s a truly great event.
- Inception: 2004
___________________________________________________________________ GastroVino Festival de Todos Santos
- Date: April 24-26
- Organizers: Perla Garnica and Mac Sutton of La Bodega de Todos Santos
- Benefits: Silent auctions of previous years have benefitted the local orphanage and the Todos Santos fire department.
- Why it’s fun: It’s a wonderful celebration of the food and wines of Baja California – and you get to indulge in plenty of both! It’s a great opportunity to get to know local chefs from Todos Santos (and their food) and wine makers from Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe wine-growing region (and their wines). Terrific live music performances throughout the day. It’s fabulous!
- Inception: 2012
__________________________________________________________________ Mango Festival y Fiestas de San Ignacio en Todos Santos
- Date: July 31-August 2, 2015
- Organizers: Todos Santos Pueblo Magico
- Why it’s fun: Ripe, juicy mangoes everywhere! There’s also dancing in the town square, polka bands, a parade of horsemen (cabalgata), folkloric ballet, artisan products, coronation of the Mango Festival Queen and much more. Lots of fun for the family.
- Inception: 2007
___________________________________________________________________ Festival del Dia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar / Todos Santos Foundation Festival
- Date: Our saint’s day is October 12, and there are usually 5 days of celebration around then. Details when available.
- Why It’s Fun: It’s a celebration of the founding of Todos Santos and our patron saint, Pilar. Lots of music, dancing, regional foods, arts and more. There is typically a parade of horsemen and a wonderful horse show October 13 and 14. Great time for the whole family.
___________________________________________________________________ Other Festivals There is also an annual Chili and Strawberry Festival in late March/early April in Pescadero, an annual Baja Reggae Festival at Los Cerritos Beach in April (or so), and there’s even a Shark Festival in November. And that’s just the festivals! Please feel free to contact us to learn more about the many interesting/exciting/engaging events organized in town each year – and to plan your adventures to accompany them. Todos Santos Eco Adventures. © Copyright Sergio and Bryan Jauregui, Casa Payaso S de RL de CV, 2014