El Cervantino International Festival, the second half of October

Cervantino is considered the most important cultural festival in Mexico, and arguably, all of Latin America.  It features artists from around the world performing music of all types, traditional and modern theatre events, film, dance, lectures, exhibits of visual arts and technology, children's activities and more.  

Previous festivals have boasted up to 2800 artists from 29 countries, performing in 49 venues across the city of Guanajuato alone.  For details check out the official website, although English may not be available. While based in Guanajuato, other cities host Cervantino events as well, including San Miguel de Allende. 

La Alborada and the Festival of Saint Michael (San Miguel), the weekend following September 29.

Alborada means "dawn" in Spanish, but you'll have to get up before dawn if you want to witness the beginning of this celebration.  Actually, you might as well stay up all night, because the festivities start around 3 a.m. on Saturday.  Get yourself to San Francisco street, where you can follow the mojigangas (those giant paper maché puppets) into the Jardin. From there,  you will witness a fireworks show symbolizing the battle between Saint Michael and Lucifer, in which Lucifer loses and goes to hell.

Go home and take a nap, because you'll want to come back for the Voladores, the "fliers" who swing from unbelievable heights while attached to a pole (if you need a visual on this, go here.).  Then, late Saturday afternoon, traditional dancers from all over Mexico will enter the Jardin in stunning costumes during the "Entrance of the Flowers" (Entrada de Los Xúchiles.)  For a preview of this procession, go here.

More festivities of this sort continue through Sunday night of this weekend.   You can watch some of them here.

October 31, Halloween

A small contingent of trick-or-treaters are likely to show up at your door on Halloween night. While not traditionally celebrated in Mexico, this holiday seems to be gaining traction here in San Miguel. Whether you stay in or go out, be prepared with a small stash of candy, 50 centavo or 1 peso coins, or both.