On May 18, 2025, the Feast of San Pascual Bailón ignited San Miguel de Allende’s historic center with the traditional “cuadros de locos” parade, marking the start of celebrations leading up to June’s Convite de Locos.
On Sunday, May 18, 2025, San Miguel de Allende’s heart throbbed with rhythm and pageantry as the Feast of San Pascual Bailón lit up its cobblestone streets. Thousands gathered in the Jardín Principal to witness the time-honored “cuadros de locos” parade, a dazzling procession of dancers clad in vibrant costumes and whimsical masks that serpented through the city’s historic core.
The annual feast day honors San Pascual Bailón, a Spanish friar renowned for his devotion to the Eucharist, but in San Miguel de Allende it has long been as much about community revelry as religious observance. Before dawn on Sunday, local artisans hung multicolored papel picado banners from lampposts and between the wrought-iron balconies that line the plaza. By mid-morning, the scent of fresh tamales and churros mingled with the faint echo of descarga trumpets, heralding the parade’s imminent arrival.
At 11:00 a.m., the first contingent of “locos” emerged from Calle Relox, each group representing a playful tableau—or cuadro—mocking daily life and local lore. Some sported oversized sombreros festooned with ribbons and jingling bells, while others donned outlandish outfits made of shimmering sequins and painted faces. Children chased one another with foam canes, mimicking the dancers’ satirical skits, and tourists lined the sidewalks, cameras at the ready.
“It’s pure joie de vivre,” said María Elena Rodríguez, a dancer in the “Cuadro de los Zopilotes,” whose costume featured giant cardboard vulture wings. “We poke fun at ourselves, at our politics, at the weather—whatever makes us laugh. And when we dance in the Jardín, you feel the city itself is smiling.”
Municipal officials had temporarily pedestrianized Avenida Hidalgo and adjacent streets to accommodate the parade’s nine blocks of choreography. Traffic barriers went up at 9:00 a.m., and uniformed volunteers guided visitors toward pop-up stands offering agua fresca and artesanías. Local police reported no significant incidents, noting that the festive atmosphere remained family-friendly throughout.
This year’s parade also featured live music for the first time in over a decade. The Banda Real de Guanajuato performed traditional sones huastecos from a flatbed truck, encouraging onlookers to join an impromptu dance in front of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. Maria Pérez, director of the city’s Department of Culture and Traditions, emphasized that reviving the live accompaniment was part of a broader effort to preserve intangible heritage.
“With each drumbeat and each spin of the dancers,” Pérez explained, “we’re keeping alive a centuries-old ritual that binds generations together. It’s not just spectacle—it’s our identity.”
The “cuadros de locos” parade officially ushers in a month of festivities culminating in the Convite de Locos, scheduled for the weekend of June 14–15. During the Convite, rival dance troupes compete to outdo one another in choreography and costume ingenuity, vying for the coveted Golden Mask Award. In the weeks ahead, local schools, neighborhood associations, and artisan co-ops will host workshops on mask-making and traditional percussion.
Beyond its cultural significance, the parade has become a draw for heritage tourism. Hotel occupancy in the Historic Center area reportedly rose by 15 percent compared to last year’s feast day, according to the San Miguel Tourism Council. Restaurateurs and gallery owners expect another bump in foot traffic as the festival season gathers momentum.
By sunset, the Jardín Principal had reverted to its tranquil self, its benches dotted with early-evening strollers savoring the cooler breeze. But the echo of laughter and the flicker of costume lights hinted that the spirit of the “cuadros de locos” would reverberate through San Miguel de Allende for weeks to come.
