Exciting music and book festivals are coming to town, while city leaders commit to addressing a critical shortcoming in Guadalajara: the lack of green spaces for public recreation.
A new urban park is coming to land that once housed the Oblatos prison
The Guadalajara City Council recently announced that it will renovate this public land with the aim of creating a new urban forest, with designated areas for sports facilities and family fun.
This initiative is critical to address the dire shortage of parks and other green spaces for residents’ enjoyment in the Guadalajara Metro Area (GMA). On World Environment Day in 2019, María Guadalupe Garibay Chávez of the University of Guadalajara shared findings that the GMA has a mere 1.4 square meters per resident of public green space, falling well short of the World Health Organization’s recommended 9 square meters per resident.
The city plans to invest more than 100 million pesos (US $4.9 million) in the project, with work to be carried out in phases so that park activities can continue during construction.
One of the most visible — and welcome — changes will be the elimination of vast areas of concrete. The project calls for removing approximately 6,300 square meters of concrete, with more than 600 trees planted in its place.
A swimming pool and other sports areas
While the construction of a new swimming pool is a showpiece, the project also calls for the renovation of multipurpose courts, the frontenis area and the baseball diamond. There will be new spaces for calisthenics and boxing, with other areas repurposed to create children’s play areas.
In addition to sports facilities, the new park will provide a variety of areas to socialize and gather with friends and family. Park trails and walkways will be renovated, with the goal of expanding the availability of green spaces for city residents.
Outside park boundaries, improvements are planned for street lighting, sidewalks and intersections to make accessing the park safer and easier.
The new park, which has not yet been named, will be located at Calle Sebastián Allende 200, Colonia La Penal, on Guadalajara’s east side near the Cristóbal de Oñate station on Line 2 of the light rail.
The FIL Guadalajara prepares to welcome Salman Rushdie as keynote speaker
The FIL Guadalajara, Latin America’s premier book festival, has an exciting program in the works for its 40th edition. British American writer Salman Rushdie is slated to open the program with a keynote lecture Nov. 28 at the Juan Rulfo Auditorium of Expo Guadalajara.
The announcement was made earlier this month by the FIL’s director, Marisol Schulz, who noted that this year’s festival will encompass “more than 3,000 activities that over nine days will center the conversation on literature, thought, scientific outreach, art, music, film, gastronomy, comics, the publishing business, programs for professionals and, of course, the formation of readers.”
In total, more than 900 authors from 41 countries are expected to take part in this year’s FIL, where Italy returns as the guest country of honor after 18 years.
This year’s FIL will also pay tribute to Juan Rulfo, 40 years after his death, with an immersive pavilion devoted to the universe of “Pedro Páramo” and a panel featuring Juan Carlos and Juan Pablo Rulfo, writer Élmer Mendoza and photographer Rogelio Cuéllar.
Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli is set to receive the 2026 FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages, and Italian author Alessandro Baricco will open the Salón Literario Carlos Fuentes.
2024 Guadalajara International Book Fair breaks attendance record
Ticket availability
No tickets will be sold specifically for Rushdie’s keynote address. Entry requires a general admission ticket to the FIL paired with mandatory online pre-registration due to the strict security protocols necessary to ensure the author’s safety.
Keep an eye on the official FIL Guadalajara website or its press announcements as the fair approaches for the exact date the pre-registration link goes live.
For more information about the general program and specific events, visit the website’s calendar page.
Dates: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026 – Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026
Location: Expo Guadalajara, Jalisco
Cost: General admission tickets are available online from the FIL website or in person at FIL’s main office, with prices starting from 40 pesos (US $2) for adults and 30 pesos (US $1.50) for children.
Día de Campo Festival returns to Guadalajara
Returning to Guadalajara next month for its fifth edition is the Día de Campo festival. Unlike the typical music festival experience these days, Día de Campo bills itself as an intimate, low-key event — a chill day in the park with fantastic music, not a drunken bacchanal.
This year’s festival is moving to a new venue, Titanes GDL, which sits across from Parque Metropolitano. It is reachable by taxi from downtown Guadalajara in about 20 minutes.
Headlining Día de Campo this year is Santa Pirata, a new side project by Arcade Fire’s frontman Win Butler. The band includes Haitian musician and Arcade Fire member Paul Beaubrun and DJ Cosmo Gonik. Santa Pirata blends DJ sets with live instrumentation, featuring Butler on drums and Beaubrun on bass and guitar.
Also performing this year in its Guadalajara debut is Chet Faker. Australian musician Nick Murphy has been performing under the moniker Chet Faker for the past 15 years, combining soul, R&B and electronic music with catchy, danceable beats. The artist is touring in support of his new album, “A Love for Strangers.”
Other confirmed artists for Día de Campo 2026 are Argentina’s Grammy-nominated Bándalos Chinos, known for its synth-pop, funk and indie rock, Norway’s Kakkmaddafakka, CocoRosie and Alanis Yuki.
Date: Nov. 29, 2026, starting at 1 p.m.
Location: Titanes event space next to Parque Metropolitano in Zapopan
Cost: Available on Boletomóvil starting at 1,323 pesos (US $65).
MND writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.