Miss me? Sure you did. I’ve had fun these past few weeks but now I’m ready to have fun in San Miguel de Allende. Here is a sampling of some of the great events coming your way.
What off-season? Nobody takes a seasonal break in San Miguel anymore!
As always, this is just the tip of the tortilla. Check out the several events sites devoted to keeping you busy and entertained in San Miguel.
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Quincenario en honor a San Antonio de Padua, the two-weeklong celebration of Saint Anthony began with a locos parade on Saturday, June 1, that ended up at the Parroquia San Antonio de Padua in Colonia San Antonio, as they will each night.
For two weeks, pilgrimages by groups of Locos will leave each evening from a different place in San Miguel and parade toward the Parish of San Antonio de Padua.
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How do they do it? How do they put on some of those costumes that look not only like a second and third layer of skin but a whole winter coat for a grizzly bear — and then head down the street dancing and twirling and skipping to the pulsations of Mega the Sound Systems Inc. on the back of a pickup truck?
Crazy, I tell you!
Locos, by name. This year, the Locos are earning their name and reputation for endurance, exuberance, perseverance, and any other “ences” you can think of. It is hot. Every single day. Hot. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen it rain on a Locos parade.
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This week starts off with not one but three locos parades. Each leaves from a different location at staggard times but they will emerge and find their way back to Parroquia San Antonio de Padua where a towering soundsystem is set up.
There will be dancing food and music into the night. Don’t miss it.
At the other end of the week, the long-awaited memoir and photography of Ojala Ninos founder Elsmarie Norby, “It Is To Wonder,” is published and she will talk about her journey on Friday. Take my word for it: It is too wonderful.
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Celebrations are breaking out all over San Miguel this week. Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, the Red Cross anniversary, the religious Celebration of the Cross, and even the Locos/Crazies begin to honor their patron saint.
Or, you could just go bird-watching. There is that.
I’m guessing the performance of the week will be pianist Théo Fouchenneret and the deal of the week will be The Rondalla Señorial of the University of Guanajuato (free). The most poignant performances will be by the many wonderful musicians coming together to remember their comrade Tony Duncan.
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Tough luck if you are over the age of, let’s say16, but a lot of this week’s events are geared toward children. With good reason: The last Saturday in April is Mexico’s National Day of the Child.
If you have kids or know families with young children, consider being a fairy godmother or godfather for a day and get them to some of these wonderful events. (Cover the cost of the tickets, godmother!)
Meanwhile, of course, there really is a lot going on for the rest of us. There is a prestigious horse jumping event and the 50 Best Bars in North America will be named in a splashy ceremony. Do not try horse jumping and bar hopping at the same time. Leave that to the professionals.
Continue readingLet me start the week by saying, dawg, I’m tired. It may be the hyper-awareness of a birthday of a certain age that came and went last week but really drove home the point: I have had way too many birthdays in my life.
And that realization leads to another realization: I’m tired.
All of this is to say that as I was putting this calendar together Saturday night, I reached a point where finishing this thing wasn’t going to happen on deadline. So, on Sunday, I updated this page with a half-dozen more fun things for you to consider.
And as always, send your ideas and events to robertj.hawkins2012@gmail.com. Thanks for playing along!
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It’s a promising week when an eclipse of the sun is not really the best thing happening in San Miguel de Allende. I mean, you can’t even look directly at it unless you are a former president of the U.S. or you have special glasses.
What fun is that?
Well, it could be some fun even though we’re on the “partial” side of the path. Just, you know, take care of your own eyeballs. So you can see what else is coming up this week.
There is a lot to be excited about — boxing, bullfighting, classic movies and plays, crazy good singers and musicians, a Jerry Rife photography exhibition (see photo above), and a burlesque show that includes the Mexican Elvis — El Vez. (Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of El Vez. Oh, come on!) The ones doing all the burlesque are Moscato Sky, Carmen Caliente, and Ruby Mimosa — and with names like that, baby you know you want a front-row seat.
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If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to go see the Exploding Judases, today, Sunday, at noon. Go sooner and get a close-up look at the lifesize papier mache figures that will be blown to smithereens. You may even recognize one or two! You may even want to project a name or two of your own onto the more anonymous ones.
Frankly, the pyrotechnics signal the end of High Season, that semi-sad time of year when the season begins to change, to heat up and get really really dry, and all that money changes course and begins to flow back north to the United States and Canada.
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You can attend two magnificent classical performances on the same day, a spooky play reading, a night of expert storytelling, and learn how to read “Ulysses” for pleasure. Watch as the greatest soccer rivalry in the Western Hemisphere fires up again Sunday night. Take to the stage for a Live Mic night, watch an Oscar-winning documentary, or see one of the greatest movies of all time.
The toughest seat in town will be for the re-birth of the guitar-fueled Media Luna’s trio of concerts.
Probably most important of all is that all week long the Catholic faithful will be reliving the Passion of Christ in ceremony, pageantry, prayer, liturgy, and in the end pyrotechnics.
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Musings, Magic, San Miguel and More 