Cervantino Festival 2011

Once again the city of Guanajuato is adorned in long banners celebrating the prestigious Cervantino Festival, considered one of the most important events throughout Mexico and Latin America. This year's festival is held in full force from October 12 through 30, with guests of honor like Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Mexican state of Nayarit. Each of these countries allows visitors to enjoy some of their best artists. You'll see the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, alternative Finnish band Rubik, and pianist Geir Henning Braaten from Norway, just to name a few.

This year, the festival's theme revolves around the gifts of nature, creating consciousness about respect and love for the Earth through art. The magic of the Cervantino Festival transforms Guanajuato into a stage for music, food, traditions and excitement. The historic past of this Cultural Heritage Site city is revived with important events hold in the cobblestone streets, at the Alhondiga de Granaditas plaza, and in the city's oldest theaters and auditoriums.

It was at the University of Guanajuato's theater where director and playwright Enrique Ruelas Espinosa and his students first presented works by Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra in 1953, which have come to be known as "Entremeses Cervantinos". Years later, these scenes would give way to the very first International Cervantino Festival in 1973. At the festival's 39th celebration, you can't miss out on the traditional Entremeses Cervantinos scenes or the popular show "Yo Soy La Locura! Musica, Sueno y Libertad del Quijote" (translating to "I Am Insanity! Quijote's Music, Dream and Liberty").

The rich culture of this impressive event encompasses a variety of themes, grabbing the attention of kids and adults alike. To give you a taste of what awaits you in Guanajuato, you can enjoy an opera of the Puss in Boots fairytale or the Rogelio Sosa Multimedia Opera, not to mention the best of Amalia Hernandez Folkloric Ballet, the Dancing of Beijing, and an endless number of shows, many of them free.

Since 1962, the cobblestone streets of Guanajuato have seen enthusiastic performers lift the hearts of locals with their guitars and voices. The Cervantino Festival creates the perfect setting to discover the passion of this city, whose Spanish origins and rich Mexican culture will leave you breathless. Whatever your interest in the performing arts, you'll fall in love with this fascinating festival, created by the people, for the people.