This Awesome Event Near Los Cabos Is Returning For Another Unmissable Year

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Last Updated 10 months ago

Throughout the year, Los Cabos and its neighboring cities in the state of Baja California Sur put on a jam-packed calendar of entertainment.

While exploring outside of the two main cities of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas doesn’t make everyone’s itinerary, there’s one event that should change that.

La Paz Carnaval

Set in the peaceful and culturally rich city of La Paz, north of Los Cabos, this yearly carnival is the perfect way for travelers to experience an explosion of fun, color, music, dancing, and much more.

Running from February 8^th to February 13^th, the musical line-up has already been announced, with the following acts confirmed:

• Turbulence Queen & Burrita Burrona María León
• Jenny and The Mexicats
• Edén Muñoz
• Kany García
• Banda MS
• Yuridia
• Banda El Recodo
• La Gallina Pintadita

While these acts are well-known and loved within Mexico, they may be completely unknown to most American travelers.

This shouldn’t put potential carnival revelers off though, as visiting an event like this while on a Los Cabos vacation is all about experiencing the new and wonderful.

México Fantástico

To keep the carnival fresh, each year, organizers give the whole experience a theme. This year that theme is “Fantastic Mexico”.

The best of Mexican culture will be on display, with large colorful floats and energetic dancers and performers providing a steady stream of must-see entertainment.

Moreover, it isn’t just a feast for the eyes, a celebration of Mexican culture wouldn’t be complete without all the wonderful tastes of the country’s world-famous cuisine on offer.

La Paz is already home to many fantastic restaurants, famous for their fresh seafood dishes, but on top of this, the streets will be lined with street food stalls, serving everything from hunger-busting tacos to Nutella and cheese-filled marquesitas (a thin waffle cone-like dessert).

Is It Safe?

Safety is always an important concern for travelers when considering an adventure outside of Los Cabos. In the past, La Paz Carnaval has enjoyed a super-positive reputation for safety and security, with the majority of incidents being minor public disturbances or instances of petty theft.

However, this year brings hope for the safest event ever. The city of La Paz has seen a significant decrease in crime rates, which is the hard-earned pay-off from new policing and public security initiatives across the state.

Although, even with the historically peaceful reputation of the event, along with this positive change in crime rates, travelers should still arm themselves with some basic preventative knowledge to keep the scales tipped in their favor.

Beware Of Pickpockets

As usual, leave valuables such as watches and jewelry locked in the resort safe, these are easily removed by opportunistic pickpockets in the dense carnival crowds.

Additionally, carrying large amounts of cash is also not advisable for the same reason as above. A good way to keep cash and cards safe is to split them up, separating large amounts of cash into separate pockets, and keeping credit and debit cards separate can minimize the financial impact if an unfortunate run-in with a pickpocket does occur.

It is worth noting, however, that while pickpockets are a concern, they’re a small one. Compared to other areas of Mexico and larger tourist cities around the world, they’re a minor worry rather than an active threat.

Drink Responsibly

The carnival is a very lively experience, and it’s not uncommon for some of the revelers to enjoy a little too much Tequila and not enough water.

Drinking responsibly is always good advice, but it becomes even more important when in a new country/destination. Keeping alcohol consumption within reason also means keeping common sense intact, which is a traveler’s best defense from unfortunate situations.

On top of the safety aspect of drinking responsibly, the importance of hydration can not be overstated. The carnival is an outdoor event, and despite it being winter, temperatures can rise quickly with clear skies and thousands of bodies packed along the roadside.

Planning Is Important

Los Cabos and La Paz are just a 2-hour journey from each other, meaning a day trip to La Paz to enjoy the festival is well within reason.

With that being said, the city of La Paz fills up during the event, and getting a last-minute hotel room can be next to impossible.

Ensure that the return journey is pre-planned and that a backup plan, such as taking one of the public transport connections back to Los Cabos, is in place.