New Year's Day, which is one of the more recent additions to Ajijic's calendar of festivals, is a wacky celebration of various themes and influences that ends in an afternoon football game against two neighborhoods.
Ajijic kicks off the new year with a parade of wacky floats and themes that ends in a friendly football competition between two neighboring streets in the west part of town.
The parade usually starts at 1 p.m. at Seís Esquinas in Ajijic and ends at the Tecoluta soccer field. At around 9 p.m. there at the field, you can see a traditional torito, which is a bull-shaped fireworks display. People hold it over their heads and run around as it sends out sparks, a popular nighttime tradition during some fiestas in Mexico.
2019’s New Year’s events didn’t include the soccer game as the field was flooded due to Lake Chapala reaching 90%+ capacity that year. The lake is lower this year, so the events at the soccer field should probably be taking place for New Year’s Day 2020.
The New Year’s Day parade is a relatively new addition to Ajijic’s many traditions, starting in 2000 as an initiative by the Seís Esquinas neighborhood.
New Year’s Day Parade Route
Last updated: 2026-04-05
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