Every town on the bay has its patron saint, and every patron saint has a fiesta: processions, a mass, music in the plaza, a kermés of food stalls and, almost always, fireworks. Add the national holidays, Día de Muertos and a handful of newer festivals, and there's something to celebrate in most months.
Sayulita's own big fiesta is in December, for its patron, the Virgin of Guadalupe. The others are a short drive away: Bucerías and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to the south, San Pancho to the north, and the inland towns of the valley. Dates below are from the municipality and the organisers; the ones tied to a saint's day stay put each year, while festivals move, so check the calendar before you go.
How a fiesta works here
A patron saint's fiesta usually builds over several days to the saint's own day. Neighbourhoods, families and groups take turns walking in procession to the church, often with a decorated float, a band and rockets going up overhead; in the evenings the plaza fills with food stalls, music and dancing. On the day itself there may be mañanitas, the dawn serenade, and a mass.
The national holidays are a different kind of party. On the night of September 15 every town plaza re-enacts the Grito, the cry of independence, followed by fireworks, and on the 16th there are parades. In between come the festivals: art walks, music, sport and food, many of them in the winter high season.
If you hear rockets over town on a December evening, it's most likely a procession on its way to the church.
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Sayulita Plaza
Where Sayulita's fiestas, the Grito and the parades all end up.
Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The parish church near the plaza, the destination of December's processions.
January to March
The winter high season is the busiest time for festivals, and it starts with the biggest fiesta on the bay outside Sayulita.
- Jan 6Día de Reyes. The New Year crowd lingers into the first days of the month.
- Jan 16–24Our Lady of Peace, Bucerías: the fishermen's patron fiesta, with a pilgrimage across the water carrying the peace torch from La Cruz, plus cultural and sports events (2027 dates).
- Mid-FebruarySayulita Art Walk: an evening of music, murals, workshops and local makers (2026: February 12, 5 to 10pm, the seventh edition).
- Mid-FebruaryBucerías Street Festival and Chalk Walk: chalk art on the streets of the Zona Dorada, with food and crafts (2026: February 17–19).
- Late FebruarySan Pancho Music Festival: free evening concerts in Plaza del Sol, with donations welcome (2027 dates not yet announced).
- Early MarchSayulita SUP Open: paddle surf heats and races on the main beach (2026: March 6–8).
Holy Week to June
Holy Week and the week after Easter are the busiest of the spring, with families from all over Mexico on holiday. Then the season quietens, apart from a few fixed dates.
- Holy WeekThe busiest week of the spring (2027: Palm Sunday March 21 to Easter Sunday March 28). In Bucerías, the Festival del Ostión marks the end of the oyster season with free food, music and contests (2026: April 4–5).
- Mar 31Día del Taco in San Juan de Abajo, inland: free tacos in the main plaza, with music and mariachis from 9pm (2026).
- May 3Holy Cross, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle: the town's patron fiesta, with a kermés in the plaza and celebrations in the days before.
- Late MaySayulita Pride: a Friday parade from the start of Avenida Revolución to the plaza and a festival there, then parties over the weekend (2026: May 29–31, run by Sayulita Comunidad Diversa).
- Jun 1Navy Day: parades by sea and land in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, among other ports.
September and October
July and August are holiday months for Mexican families, but there are no big fiestas on the bay's calendar. September brings the national celebrations and then San Pancho's own.
- Sep 15–16Fiestas Patrias: the Grito de Independencia on the night of the 15th, with fireworks and a verbena in the plaza, and parades on the 16th.
- Sep 26 – Oct 4San Francisco, San Pancho: nine days of fairs and dances for the town's patron, ending on St Francis's day.
- Oct 29 – Nov 2Día de Muertos: the municipality's international festival, with Sayulita as its main venue, altars, catrinas, parades, a night procession to the cemetery and a surf tournament.
November and December
The high season starts in November, and December ends the year with Sayulita's own patron fiesta.
- Nov 20Revolution Day, a national holiday (in 2026 the day off is Monday November 16; parades are on the 20th).
- Dec 1–12Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sayulita: nightly pilgrimages by neighbourhood groups, with floats, music and fireworks, to the parish church by the plaza. On the 12th, mañanitas with mariachi early in the morning and a community meal.
- Dec 11The anniversary of the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, founded in 1989, marked in Valle de Banderas.
- Dec 24–Jan 1Christmas to New Year: the busiest and most expensive stretch of the year in town.
Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Sayulita's parish, where the December processions arrive each night.
Sayulita Plaza
Food stalls, music and fireworks through the Guadalupe celebrations.
Going to a fiesta
Everyone is welcome at a fiesta's public side. Watch the processions from the pavement rather than walking through them, and if you go into the church during a mass, cover your shoulders, keep your voice down and leave the phone in your pocket.
Bring pesos in small notes for the food stalls and the rides. Fireworks in a Mexican plaza are close and loud, and castillos, the tall frames of spinning fireworks, throw sparks; stand back and keep an eye on children.
Streets close for processions and parades, and the evenings around the plaza get crowded, so walk rather than drive a cart. And check the date: saints' days are fixed, but the festivals and their programmes change from year to year.
Questions people ask
What is Sayulita's main fiesta?
The Virgin of Guadalupe, its patron, from December 1 to 12: nightly processions to the parish church by the plaza, with music and fireworks, ending with mariachi mañanitas on the 12th.
Is there a Day of the Dead festival in Sayulita?
Yes, the main one on the bay: the municipality's international festival, October 29 to November 2 in 2026, with parades, altars, a night procession to the cemetery and a surf tournament.
Where can I see the Grito on September 15?
In Sayulita's plaza, as in every town's. The Grito is given on the night of the 15th, followed by fireworks, and there are parades on the 16th.
When is Sayulita Pride?
In late May. In 2026 it ran May 29–31, with a Friday evening parade up Avenida Revolución to the plaza.
Written by sayulita.co from our own research, checked against 4 sources. Nothing here is paid for. Photos: Luisalvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0); David Stanley, CC BY 2.0 (CC BY 2.0); WendyAvilesR (CC BY 4.0); গীতাশ্ৰী গগৈ আপ্তে (CC BY-SA 4.0) (CC BY-SA 4.0). See something out of date? Tell us.
