When to Go to Guadalajara

When to Go to Guadalajara

For most of the year, daytime temperatures in Guadalajara hover in the low eighties and the nights are clear and cool. The city is susceptible to bouts of dry heat in April and May, when the mercury surges past 100°F (38°C). Afternoon downpours, occurring June through September, douse the heat (and bring air pollution to its lowest annual levels), but can make streets a flooded nightmare. Temperatures are cooler December to early February (nighttime lows may plunge into the thirties).

At an altitude of one mile, Guadalajara escapes the dengue fever outbreaks that occasionally slap Jalisco's tropical coast (e.g. Puerto Vallarta) in the rainy season. Despite having only a quarter of its traffic, Guadalajara regularly gives the capital a run for its money as Mexico's most polluted city. Air quality readings reach unsatisfactory levels during the winter months, starting in October and continuing until the winds pick up in February. The pollution can cause raw throats, sore eyes, and sinus irritation.

Guadalajara's major events include a May cultural festival, with a country or region of honor. In September's International Mariachi Festival, local watering holes have even more mariachi performances than usual and distinguished mariachi bands perform nightly with the Jalisco Philharmonic in the Teatro Degollado. The Fiestas de Octubre country fair is punctuated by nightly music and cockfights in the palenque (fairground). A ten-day book fair starting the last weekend of November attracts Spanish literary giants.