Learn Spanish Abroad

Spanish Language Schools

Guadalajara's Yearly Social Calendar

January:
This is an excellent month to begin an immersion program; the weather in Guadalajara during this month is sensational with temperatures ranging from the 24C in the mornings to 30C in the afternoons and coming back down to 20C during the evenings. This means that Guadalajara is an excellent get away for all our northern neighbors seeking refuge from those freezing temperatures they have during this particular month!

If you are interested in experiencing New Year’s in Mexican grand fashion, there is no better city to do so than in Guadalajara! Festivities for New Year’s are taken quite seriously by our citizens and they celebrate in style!

It is also during this month that Guadalajara becomes the buzz in art galleries in all of Mexico harboring various art exposés throughout the entire month and best of all; these galleries are often free of charge and open for all art lovers to enjoy. Celebrity concerts are also constant during this month with major artist performing at least twice a week in one of the many theatres that adorn our city.

For all you soccer fans, it is during this month (3rd weekend in January) that the Mexican soccer tournament begins and with 3 local premier league teams there will be a great opportunity for you to sit in on an excellent soccer match.

February:
The month of love! This month may be the shortest in the year, but we take advantage of every last second for helping our students make the most of their immersion program with our institution. As always, we have a new course beginning every Monday throughout this entire month.

Valentine’s day is very special for all us “Tapatios” since not only is it the day for showing people how much you care for them but it is also the day that we celebrate the founding of our city, and you better believe that we take these festivities seriously! Festivities begin on February 13th in the evening outside city hall with live mariachi music and civil festivities. On the 14th we begin celebrating at 8:00 AM all the way to 10:00 PM throughout various locations in the Historic Downtown area of Guadalajara. Food, Folklore, and Festivities engulf the month of February in our city! All this civil mingling is an excellent opportunity for our students, not only to experience our culture, but to practice their Spanish as well.

It is also during this month that we receive several international superstars in the various amphitheatres in our city, of course, to celebrate the month of love. During this month we also have the national silver fair which gathers some of the best silver craftsmen in Mexico to present their work.

For all you sports fans, the Mexican soccer tournament begins heating up during this month and premiere league soccer matches take place during the weekends.

March:
Spring is in the air and the weather in our city during this month is spectacular! As always, our institution remains committed to having complete flexible in our immersion programs for our students to come study with us at a time that is most convenient for them, thus our course initiations for every Monday throughout this entire month.

This month is an excellent time to come study Spanish with our institution because of all of the things that we have going on in our city. For starters, we have the International Film Festival in Guadalajara, which is the most important film festival in all of Mexico. This festival harbors the most creative film proposals and most innovative films world wide while setting an excellent cultural window into Mexico and the world.

During this month, in the nearby town of Teuchitlan home of the Guchimonton Round Pyramids, an extremely unique event takes place. During the Spring Equinox which takes place on the 3rd weekend in March, thousands of people gather at the very top of this ancient archeological site for an experience compared to no other to gather all the energy radiated by the moon during this unique day. These festivities stretch for 3 consecutive days and guarantee an experience to remember for the rest of your life!

March is also a month for theatrical presentations in Guadalajara. Actors in Guadalajara are considered among the most talented and innovative in Mexico therefore a night at the theatre is an experience that will surely be enjoyed by all theatre lovers.

April:
Summer is just around the corner as well as vacations for all students wishing to take advantage of an immersion program abroad! Guadalajara is ideal for adventuring during this particular month since spring is in full fling, and you can imagine what our city is like if we are also know as the city of eternal spring time!

However excellent weather and our veteran immersion programs are not the only things to enjoy while in our city since IMAC and Guadalajara can offer much more! For example, it is during this particular month that City Hall begins organizing daily excursions in the mornings and evenings around the historic downtown area of Guadalajara! You are guided through some of the most important landmarks in our city accompanied by live mariachi music and best of all completely for free!

Horse drawn carriages are also very popular during this month. These carriages, also known as “Calandrias”, can take you on a tour of the city in a 20th century style coach, which can be ideal for all you students who do not find long walks to be too comfortable.

May:
This month is a very significant month in Mexican history since it commemorates de Battle of Puebla, which is traditionally also remembered as the battle of 5 de mayo. The festivities surrounding this holiday vary from year to year but are surely guaranteed to bring a real good time.

Free excursions throughout the historic downtown area of Guadalajara are organized on a daily basis in the mornings and afternoons through this entire month, and the weather is fantastic to take a wider tour of the city in one of the horse drawn carriages that are very popular throughout Guadalajara.

If you are a soccer fan, then you will be delighted to know that the Mexican premier league tournament has entered its final phase during this month and matches are setting off sparks! Guadalajara counts with not one or two but three premier league teams, therefore the chance to view a championship league match are very high for any visitor coming to our city during this month.

June:
Vacations are here for all you university students and professors! Why not take advantage of some that free time to improve your Spanish skills or completely begin learning a language that is considered to be one of the most commonly used languages around the world!

IMAC Spanish Language Programs and the city of Guadalajara have a great variety of things to offer during this particular month. For example; city hall offers free excursions throughout the historic downtown area of Guadalajara in the mornings and evenings accompanied by live mariachi music! Our institution organizes weekend excursions to some of the sites of interest surrounding Guadalajara like the Tequila, the birthplace of our national drink or the Guachimontones Round Pyramids which is the most important archeological find in western Mexico.

For all you professional who have some time off from work, you may be interested to know that our institution offers specialty courses for specific professional fields. These courses provide students with the technical vocabulary they need to express themselves in a more precise and technical manor for their particular professional field. These courses range from; Medical, Business, Finance and Social Services among many more.

While you are in Guadalajara you may chose to take up a volunteer program which our institution can arrange for our students upon request among a great array of different options.

This month is also very important artistically since several plays, opera, and orchestra presentations take place during the entire month. We also receive a great number of international superstars during this month that come to embrace themselves with the warmth and welcome of their “Tapatio” fans.

July:
This month is an excellent option for studying Spanish with our institution and to visit the Pearl of the West, Guadalajara! Some of you are still on vacations from work or school, why not come and learn Spanish?

You may be pleased to know that our institution offers university credit for all you students who wish to take advantage of every last minute in their agenda or simply wish to make their vacations as productive as possible.

Summer is in full fling in Guadalajara, so… why not take a weekend at the beach after a week of classes? If you are a beach loving, sea going soul you are going to love a weekend at the famous Puerto Vallarta Beach resort which is only located at a 4.5 hour bus ride from Guadalajara. Of the major beach resort is not your style then you may enjoy a calmer lonely beach setting at any of the various beaches that shower our state’s sunny coastline.

Guadalajara also has some public swimming pools that are open for free swim time during the summer months so that all our students can take a relaxing cool dip after classes and get some important exercise while their at it. If staying in shape is a major concerns while on your immersion program you can feel comforted to know to know that there are several world class gyms within a short bus ride from our institution.

August:
Summer is almost over but there is still some time left to take advantage of a veteran immersion program with our institution and earn some university credit. Our courses are very flexible and you can choose to study from as little as one week to as many as you may like therefore, time is on your side when studying with IMAC!

The weather in Guadalajara begins to cool down slightly toward the end of this month. The raining season is all but ended leaving a green glow all over our city’s multiple parks, kiosks, and gardens. City hall organizes morning guided excursions through the Historic Downtown Area of Guadalajara and the municipal orchestra plays every Wednesday evening outside the Government Palace in the Arms Plaza Kiosk.

It is also during this month that our institution organizes weekend excursions to sites of interest surrounding Guadalajara like the Guachimontones Round Pyramids and Magdalena Opal Mines not to mention Lake Chapala and Tequila, Jalisco the birthplace of our national drink!

If you are a soccer fan, you will be glad to know that the Mexican Premier Tournament begins its matches on the first weekend in August! With three premier league teams based in Guadalajara you are guaranteed to sit in on an excellent match! Or if the passion for bullfighting runs through your veins this is also when the “Temporada Taurina” begins in our bull fighting arena “Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso.

Guadalajara also plays host to several performances of international prestige during this month like the Circ Du Soleil and many more artist.

September:
Also know as “el mes de la patria” or the nation’s month since it is during this month that Mexico celebrates is birth and independence from the Spanish crown. You better believe that “Tapatios” take this month seriously since our city is know as the cradle of Mexican tradition.

For starters, during this month we have the Mariachi Festival which reunites Mariachi orchestras from all over Mexico for daily free admission performances throughout the Historic Downtown Area of Guadalajara. Livestock exposes exhibiting some of the best specimens of bulls and horses in Mexico are among the most significant events that take place in the city and of course the “Charreadas” which are exhibitions of a traditional Mexican practice of men and animal working together to show incredible dexterity and mastery of lassos.

Festivities for our Independence Day begin on in the early morning of September 15th when an ocean of merchants showing there wares of traditional Mexican bakery, cuisine, art, jewelry, toys, and clothing cover the entire Historic Downtown Area of Guadalajara. Live bands and Mariachis perform throughout the area all day long and during the evening is when the real party begins! At exactly midnight is when the state governor rings the Government Palace bells to celebrate one more year of our nation’s sovereignty. All these festivities carry out until the late afternoon of the 16 of September. The food, civic festivities and general folklore make this month one of the most memorable in our city throughout the year.

Many popular Mexican singers also take advantage of this month to make performances in our city throughout this month. Not to mention regular theatrical performances throughout the various theatres of Guadalajara.

October:
The October Festival has come and brought with it an entire month of festivities! This is considered as one of the most important festivals in Mexico since it lasts for the entire month of October and gathers the most significant Mexican and international performers for daily concerts! It begins with an enormous parade and ends with an incredible light parade that take place in the evening.

All forms of plastic arts are also exhibited throughout various thematic exposes within the festival and cultural performances are on the daily itinerary. This festival provides our students with an open window into Mexican culture from all corners of the country!

Mechanical rides, extreme sports, and carnival games make this a very entertaining experience for people of all age! Mexican cuisine from every part of the country can be sampled in the various restaurants that gather within this festival or if a main course is not in your general plans you can simply taste the different variety of Mexican snacks that are also very delicious and traditional.

The premier soccer league in Mexico is heating up and regular weekend matches take place with any of the 3 premier league teams that call Guadalajara proudly their home town and bullfighting season is coming to a close.

November:
The holidays are just around the corner and all the festivities that come along with it, why not take advantage of this month to do an immersion program before wrapping yourself up in the holidays!

Guadalajara is an excellent place to visit during this time of year. The Day of the Dead is celebrated at the very beginning of this month, November 1st and 2nd. This is a very rare and unique holiday which takes place in Mexico in which all Mexican families take time to honor their dead relatives. The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous peoples such as the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2500–3000 years.

Many observants believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living. People will go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and will build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, and photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or little angels), and bottles of tequila, mezcal, pulque or atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead") or sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.

Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes. These altars usually have the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, and scores of candles. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing so when they dance the dead will wake up because of the noise. Some will dress up as the deceased.

During this month we also have the last days of the October Festival and its light parade. November is also the month for Guadalajara’s renowned “Feria Internacional del Libro” or FIL for short. This is a massive book fair that takes place in Guadalajara’s largest convention center and gathers some of the most talented Latin-American authors for conferences book and exhibitions. Very noticeable business conferences are also presented in this forum by exponents hailing from some of the most important universities in the world.

During this month we also celebrate the Mexican revolution which is, of course, accompanied by a parade, civic festivities, and a culinary bonanza!

December:
The holidays have come to Guadalajara, except we still keep our spring like weather! The city of Guadalajara decorates itself for the holidays throughout the entire Historic Downtown Area of Guadalajara! Posadas are on the daily menu as well as many more holiday cheer festivities.

The “Feria Internacional del Libro is still in its closing days and it is not too late to sit in on an excellent conference on topics of global interest or a book exhibition. It is also during this month that an array of different holiday themed opera and theatrical performances grace the city’s theatres.

This is truly a great time to visit the city of Guadalajara, especially if you have some vacation time during this month.

Guadalajara, Mexico Museums
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