Hundreds of locals walk through the street at night with lit torches on their way to the lagoon The Offering of a Thousand Lights glowing at night The illuminated pyramid on the lagoon
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Festival of Light and Life · 30 years of tradition · Chignahuapan 2026
30th anniversary · Commemorative edition · October 30–31 and November 1–2, 2026

Festival of Light and Life

30years lighting up the lagoon

Day of the Dead like nowhere else: Chignahuapan's lagoon fills with floating offerings, catrinas and light. One of the Sierra Norte's most iconic performances.

Until the lagoon lights up –days –hrs –min –sec It's today! The lagoon is lit Buy tickets
Tickets: how to buy them
The tradition

When the lagoon fills with light

Every end of October, Chignahuapan reinterprets Day of the Dead by the water. As night falls, dozens of floating offerings drift across the illuminated lagoon, while catrinas and troupes parade the shore and a theatrical performance tells, through actors, music and light, the way the town remembers its own.

It's not a parade to watch from a distance: you walk around the lagoon, among candles, marigolds and the water's reflection — an experience as visual as it is moving.

The grand finale: fans of fireworks over the illuminated pyramid, reflected in the lagoon A performer in the show with a red-feathered headdress and a face painted as a skull An illuminated boat with glowing skulls and serpent heads floats on the lagoon at night, reflected in the water, in front of the audience Cast of the Festival de la Luz y de la Vida
2026 commemorative edition

Thirty years lighting up memory

The 2026 edition is the thirtieth. The town hall presented it on September 14 as a commemorative edition and honored those who sustained the festival from its earliest years: founders, local dance companies, schools and committees. What began as a performance at the water’s edge is today the most watched night in the Sierra Norte.

  • 30years of tradition
  • 4festival nights
  • 9levels of Mictlán
  • 400 m²of floating pyramid

On November 1, 2025, the State of Puebla reported more than 5,000 attendees in a single night, and organizers estimated over 80,000 visitors across the whole edition. If you’re coming, come early.

The experience

The gateway to Mictlán

Chignahuapan means «over the nine waters» — like the nine waters that, according to tradition, souls cross on their way to Mictlán. One night a year, this town opens that gate. Descend with us, step by step.

Offering of the thousand lights Chignahuapan
1

Offering of a Thousand Lights

Thousands of candles, flowers and portraits on small rafts released onto the lagoon at nightfall — the festival's most photographed moment.

A monumental sawdust carpet in the festival streets
2

Monumental carpets

Dyed sawdust, marigold and seeds: downtown streets wake up covered in carpets worked on all night that last a single day.

The show, with dancers in front of the pyramid
3

The performance

Actors, light and sound tell a story of memory and life over the water — the centerpiece of the night, meant to be watched from the shore.

The illuminated pyramid and stage seen from the air
4

The illuminated lagoon

When the show ends, the lagoon stays lit: the best time to walk it slowly, without rush or crowds.

The festival in pictures

This is how the night feels

Luz y Vida festival
The show on the lagoon
A giant dapper-skeleton (catrín) figure in a hat and colorful sarape parades through the town streets at night
Parade of the Skulls
The Offering of a Thousand Lights at night under the purple-lit tent: a central aisle lined with lit candles between altars and catrinas
The Offering of a Thousand Lights
A performer with a face painted as a skull and a black costume decorated with skulls walks through the mist carrying a lit torch
The characters
A bundled-up crowd walks down the street at night with hundreds of lit torches toward the lagoon, past a street lamp
Planning your visit

When to go and what to bring

The festival runs October 30–31 and November 1–2. The main performance is at night, so it's worth arriving while there's still daylight to get a good spot by the lagoon. Check this year's exact schedule in the events calendar.

You're at 2,290 meters of altitude: October nights are cold. Bring a jacket, something to cover your head, and comfortable shoes — you'll walk a fair bit around the water.

It's one of the busiest weekends of the year: if you're planning to stay overnight, book ahead.

Tickets are sold on the festival's official site and they sell out: buy them weeks in advance.

Buy tickets at festivaldeluzyvida.mx ↗ Book lodging for those dates → or see the full calendar →
2026 tickets

Where to buy them

Sales opened on September 7, 2026 and are online, with assigned seating, on the festival’s official site. There are seven zones around the floating pyramid.

Choose your zone

Each zone opens the official box office in a new tab.

Zone2Zone7Zone1Zone3Zone4Zone6Zone5
Choose at the official box office, opens in a new tab

Illustrative plan based on the festival’s official poster; your exact seat is chosen at the box office.

Each night is bought separately. If you read that November 1 is free, that is a 2025 fact still circulating in search results: this year all four nights require a ticket.

Buy tickets at festivaldeluzyvida.mx ↗

Payment is by card and tickets arrive as a PDF by email. Purchase questions: WhatsApp 797 105 4120 or [email protected], the festival’s own team — we do not sell tickets.

Watch it

The Festival, on video

What everyone asks

Festival of Light and Life: frequently asked questions

Which day of the festival is free?
For the 2026 edition all four nights require a ticket: the official box office sells all four performances. November 1 was free in 2025, and that outdated fact still circulates. What you can see without paying is what happens in the streets: the monumental carpets, the torch walk toward the lagoon and the atmosphere downtown.
Where do I buy tickets for the 2026 Festival of Light and Life?
Online, with assigned seating, at festivaldeluzyvida.mx, the official box office. There are seven zones around the floating pyramid and each night is bought separately.
What are the 2026 festival dates?
Four nights: Friday October 30, Saturday October 31, Sunday November 1 and Monday November 2, 2026. It is the thirtieth edition.
What time does it start?
The organizer has not yet published the 2026 schedule — their site says “time to be confirmed.” In previous years the torch lighting was around 7 p.m. and the lagoon performance near 8 p.m. Arrive while it is still light: the entrance to the lagoon gets packed.
How do I get to Chignahuapan?
By bus: from Puebla they leave from the CAPU, with ATAH and SUPRA; from Tlaxcala, from Apizaco, with the same lines (about an hour’s trip); and from Mexico City, from the TAPO terminal, with ATAH and SUPRA. Other bus lines also run from Mexico City. By car from Mexico City there are two good routes: from the north, via Pachuca, on the México–Tuxpan highway and, at El Tejocotal, the Tejocotal–Tlaxco highway to Chignahuapan (2 h 30 min to 3 hours, depending on traffic), or from the Puebla and Tlaxcala side, via Apizaco and federal highway 119, through Tlaxco. From Puebla (about 2 hours): via Tlaxco, either on that same highway in the opposite direction or on the Tlaxco toll-free road. From the north, through Tlaxcala or through the mountains, you can choose the toll highway or the free road. On festival days the town center closes to traffic: arrive early and leave your car in the town’s parking lots.
What is the Offering of a Thousand Lights?
A monumental offering of candles and fruit that is lit during the festival and can be walked through. Together with the torch walk and the performance on the lagoon, it is one of the three moments people never miss.
Do I need to book lodging?
Yes. It is the busiest weekend of the year and occupancy goes above 90%. If you plan to stay overnight, book weeks in advance.