50 Best Performing Arts Venues in Mexico

Mid-November through the end of April, three-hour villa tours by the International Friendship Club get you inside the garden walls of some inspiring PV homes. English-speaking guides lead groups on air-conditioned buses Tuesday and Wednesday, from December to March. Tours depart at 10:30 am. Proceeds benefits local charities.

The International Gourmet Festival is one of PV's biggest events.

This organization offers a series of film screenings throughout the year in the majestic Teatro Macedonio Alcala (which is an experience in itself). The films, mostly independently made, cover a wide range of topics relating to Oaxaca, Mexico, and the wider world. Aimed at Spanish-speaking audiences, many of the films in Spanish are not subtitled into English. However, the experience of watching a well-made, intellectually stimulating film in the atmospheric environs of the theater, and the reasonable entry fee, more than compensates for any lack of English.

Though it's among Mexico's most poorly paid orchestras, the state-funded philharmonic manages remarkably good performances (usually pieces by Mexican composers mixed with standard orchestral fare). When in season (it varies), the OFJ performs Sunday afternoon and Wednesday and Friday evening at Teatro Degollado. On the facing plaza, they hold an annual outdoor performance that helps kick off September's Mariachi Festival.

Mexico's National Symphony Orchestra plays regularly throughout the season at the Palacio Bellas Artes, along with visiting orchestras from around the globe. It's one of the best (and most affordable) excuses to enter the iconic building's spectacular main hall. Tickets range from MP1,000 to MP180.

Constructed in 1968 for basketball and volleyball games during the Mexico City Olympics, this massive arena relatively near the airport still hosts occasional sporting events but is best known as a venue for major music concerts. In recent years, Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, and Madonna have performed here.

A few nights a week, men in dapper hats and women with fans dance the danzón at Parque Zamora. It's a magical evening, as the couples swirl around a Victorian bandstand. The types of performances, locations, and times vary every month, so stop by the tourist office in the zócalo for a current schedule.

Since its opening in 2012, the Pepsi Center WTC has quickly risen to fame as one of the most modern concert venues in Mexico. With a capacity of 7,500 people, it's much smaller (and therefore slightly more intimate) than the other local arenas of Foro Sol, Estadio Azteca, and Palacio de los Deportes. It regularly receives international touring acts and sells out quickly. 

The French-style, 19th-century Teatro de Macedonio Alcalá, one of the city's most beautiful buildings, hosts concerts. There are no tours, so you'll need to buy a ticket to a show to see the sumptuous interior. Show times and information are posted at the entrance. There are operas, world dance, and art-house film screenings.

The elegant Teatro Hermanos Domínguez is a five-minute taxi ride from downtown and features programs such as folkloric dances from throughout Latin America.

With a Diego Rivera mural covering 5,920 square feet of space above its entrance, this 1,000-seat theater intrigues from its stately location along Insurgentes Avenue. Opened in 1953, it regularly hosts theatrical works, concerts, and even the occasional sporting event. Even if you don’t get a chance to see a performance in this historic theater, even just glimpsing it from the street invites its own fair share of drama as the Rivera mural represents the theatrics of Mexico, from Mexica rituals to scenes of the Mexican Revolution and 20th-century film stars. Check the website for upcoming shows.

Even when it's not festival season, Guanajuato still has drama, dance, and musical performances at Teatro Juárez as well as at several other theaters, museums, and restaurants throughout the city. Pick up a pamphlet called Guanajuato Programa de Eventos to see what's happening.

The Teatro Mérida, also known as the Teatro Armando Manzanero, opened as a movie theater in 1949. Today it hosts mostly live performances which range from classical and even some experimental acts to more family-friendly dance spectacles.

Check the website of this small theater space with a cute Mexican restaurant (La Callejera Condesa) to see what's on. The options include a wide range of performances like modern dance, experimental theater, spoken word, and other generally incisive and often funny material.

Pop into the university's main building to check the bulletin boards just inside the entrance for upcoming cultural events. The Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán presents a combination of music, dance, and theater performances (think Mexico City's famous Ballet Folklórico de México, but on a smaller scale). The shows are typically free, though the schedule is inconsistent.