Xcaret Festival Opens in Playa del Carmen on 30 October

MEXICO · PLAYA DEL CARMEN FESTIVAL

Grupo Xcaret’s Day of the Dead festival turns its Riviera Maya park into a four-day stage for altars, theatre and music. This year Guanajuato is guest state, and Pandora and Flans headline a gala concert on Halloween night.

Playa del Carmen’s Xcaret Park holds the 20th Festival of Life and Death from Friday, 30 October to Monday, 2 November 2026. The Xcaret Day of the Dead festival is on sale now through its own ticket site.

For US visitors, it adds altars, theatre, music and a Saturday-night concert to a day at a Riviera Maya park. Adult park tickets showed at about US$98 to US$179 on 16 October.

What the Festival Is and Why It Matters

Grupo Xcaret, the Mexican tourism company behind the park, says the festival has honoured Day of the Dead for two decades. Its site says UNESCO recognises the tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Day of the Dead is Mexico’s tradition of honouring the dead with altars, food and memory. The festival says it welcomes those who return from the afterlife and celebrates life through remembrance.

For four days the park fills with colour, aromas and music, the festival site says. The program covers theatre, concerts, workshops, exhibitions, monumental altars and activities for families.

Guanajuato Is the Guest State

This year’s guest state is Guanajuato, in central Mexico, which brings its food, music, dance and craft makers to the park. The festival calls it a land of history, art and deep-rooted traditions, and Mexico’s Crónica also names it guest of honour.

The guest-state page highlights the Alfeñique Fair, pan de ánimas and the legends of Guanajuato’s cemeteries. It names mayólica pottery, cartonería, silverwork, textiles and wood carving among the state’s crafts.

On stage, the program lists mariachi, estudiantina, sones and huapango arribeño, plus traditional music of the Yucatán Peninsula. Dance includes folkloric ballet, contemporary dance and Guanajuato-style jarabes.

Hacienda Niñ@s, an interactive space for children, is part of the program. The festival says families can also join workshops and see monumental altars, murals and exhibitions.

Tickets and How to Buy

The festival’s own site, festivaldevidaymuerte.com, sells tickets for 30 and 31 October and 1 and 2 November. It lists Xcaret, Xcaret Plus and Xcaret at Night admission, and it has an English version.

A festival-only ticket exists, but only for residents of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche and Guanajuato with official ID. Visitors from abroad buy one of the three park tickets, which include the festival’s artistic activities.

A note on the ticket page says presale runs until 22 October or while stock lasts. It does not say whether the 10% online discount ends on that date.

The Night and Plus pages call tickets non-transferable and non-refundable, with no date changes. The Xcaret page lists a 10% fee for cancellations made more than two days ahead, so read your ticket’s terms.

Each visitor must show valid official ID at the ticket booth, and the Xcaret page accepts a passport. Children under four enter free, children aged five to 11 get a child rate, and taller children need ID.

Prices in US$

Prices below are adult rates shown in the festival’s ticket system on Friday, 16 October 2026. They are converted at MXN 18.46 per US$1, the open.er-api.com rate of 15 October 2026.

The system applies a 10% online discount, and prices were the same on all four festival days. Child rates and the final price at checkout may differ.

Xcaret admission showed at MXN 2,756.50 (about US$149) undiscounted and MXN 2,480.85 (about US$134) discounted. Xcaret Plus, with a buffet meal and a Plus area, showed at MXN 3,311.50 (about US$179), or MXN 2,980.35 (about US$161).

Xcaret at Night, with the México Espectacular show, showed at MXN 2,016.50 (about US$109), or MXN 1,814.85 (about US$98). Food, drinks and optional park activities cost extra on every ticket.

The Pandora and Flans Gala Concert

At 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, 31 October, Pandora and Flans play the +Inesperado Tour at Xcaret’s Gran Tlachco theatre, Publimetro also reports. The festival site calls them two of the most emblematic female groups in Spanish-language music.

Concert tickets are not included in festival or park admission. A concert-only ticket includes park entry from 9:00 p.m. and free parking, but not the festival activities.

The ticket system showed two concert prices for 31 October, MXN 2,399 (about US$130) and MXN 2,799 (about US$152). The site does not say which seats each price covers.

A banner on the festival site advertises 30% off the concert on 31 October. The site does not say whether that discount applies to the two prices above, so check the final price at checkout.

Concert tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable, and children get no special rate. Everyone entering needs a concert ticket, and each visitor must show valid ID at the booth.

Hours, Time Zone and Getting There

Xcaret and Xcaret Plus open the park at 8:30 a.m., and Xcaret at Night starts at 4:00 p.m., the ticket pages say. The tours through three underground rivers are open until 5:30 p.m.

Quintana Roo stays five hours behind UTC all year, so it is one hour behind New York on 30 and 31 October. US clocks go back at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 1 November, and the two zones then match.

The concert therefore starts at 11:00 p.m. US Eastern on Saturday, 31 October. The 8:30 a.m. opening is 9:30 a.m. Eastern on 30 and 31 October, and 8:30 a.m. Eastern on 1 and 2 November.

The park’s address is Carretera Chetumal–Puerto Juárez, kilometre 282, in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. The festival names the bus operator ADO as its official transport, with tickets sold on its site.

Transport from Cancún, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya is included only if you add it when buying. The ticket pages say parking is free.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

US citizens need a passport book to fly to Mexico, and a visa is required only beyond 180 days. Immigration officers set the length of stay, and international airports issue a digital FMMD, the State Department says.

The State Department rates Quintana Roo Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, in its advisory of 29 May 2026. It tells visitors to pay attention to their surroundings after dark and to stay in well-lit tourist zones.

In Mexico, dial 911 for emergencies and 078 for tourist assistance, the State Department says. The US Embassy in Mexico City answers at +52-55-2579-2000, including after hours.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs until 30 November, the National Hurricane Center says. Check the forecast and your ticket’s terms before you pay, since date changes may not be allowed.

Bring sun protection, some pesos for small purchases and a light layer for the evening. At MXN 18.46 per US$1, MXN 500 is about US$27.

What It Means for You

If you are booking Riviera Maya flights for early November, the festival gives a dated reason to add a day. Fix your entry date first, because several ticket pages rule out date changes.

Budget about US$100 to US$180 per adult for park entry, plus US$130 or more if you want the concert. Add transport, food and drinks, which the tickets do not fully cover.

What Is Not Known

The festival’s activity pages listed no day-by-day schedule when opened on 16 October 2026, so show times are unconfirmed. The seats behind the two concert prices and the number of tickets left are also unpublished.

It is not stated whether the 10% online discount or the 30% concert banner ends on 22 October. Late-night transport back to hotels after the 10:00 p.m. concert is not confirmed either.

What Comes Next

The ticket page notes that presale runs until 22 October, so the cheaper window may close within a week. Ticket holders should watch their email for entry or schedule changes before 30 October.

Day of the Dead itself falls on 1 and 2 November, and Mexico City stages its own events that weekend. The Connected Coverage links below cover both.

Connected Coverage

The Rio Times Playa del Carmen city guide covers neighbourhoods, transport and costs for visitors and new residents. For this month’s calendar, read What to Do in Playa del Carmen in October 2026.

Most visitors fly into Cancún, so see the Cancún city guide for the airport city. Its October calendar is in What to Do in Cancún in October 2026.

For the wider holiday, read the Day of the Dead 2026 dates guide and the Mexico City parade and events guide. Tulum-bound travellers can use Tulum Flights and Airport Transfer Tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Xcaret Day of the Dead festival take place?

The 20th Festival of Life and Death runs from Friday, 30 October to Monday, 2 November 2026 at Xcaret Park. The park is in Playa del Carmen, and Guanajuato is the guest state.

How do I buy tickets and how much do they cost?

Tickets are sold on the festival’s own site, festivaldevidaymuerte.com. On 16 October 2026 adult Xcaret admission showed at MXN 2,756.50 (about US$149), or MXN 2,480.85 (about US$134) with the online discount.

Is the Pandora and Flans concert included in admission?

No, the Saturday, 31 October concert at 10:00 p.m. is a separate ticket, which showed from MXN 2,399 (about US$130). It is 11:00 p.m. US Eastern.

Sources: Festival of Life and Death, Xcaret, home page; Festival of Life and Death, general admissions and ticket terms; Festival of Life and Death, guest state Guanajuato; Festival of Life and Death, FAQs; Festival of Life and Death, program; Publimetro, festival and concert report; Crónica, festival report;US State Department, Mexico travel advisory; US State Department, Mexico country information; National Hurricane Center, climatology; open.er-api.com, exchange rates (all accessed 16 October 2026).