The lion’s share of the notable annual events in Todos Santos – a charming pueblo magico about 45-miles north of Cabo San Lucas – occur during the first three months of each New Year, when in rapid succession the Pacific Coast community hosts highly-anticipated cultural festivals celebrating music, literature, art and film.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap in 2018 for these signature regional events.

Tropic of Cancer Concert Series – January 11 – 21, 2018

Former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck pioneered jam culture in Todos Santos with this annual music festival, which brought in high-profile musicians for performances at the landmark Hotel California, as well as the town’s picturesque main plaza. Buck’s festival went on hiatus after he made some controversial comments about local politics at the 2016 event, but the music lives on. The freshly minted Tropic of Cancer Concert Series premiered in 2017, and returns again in 2018 with an all-star lineup headlined by Joan Osborne, The Autumn Defense, The Jag, Cordovas, La Santa Cecilia, Bostich and Fussible from Nortec Collective, Julie Roberts, and La Victoria.

Todos Santos Writers’ Workshop – Jan. 27 – Feb. 3, 2018

Best known for its painters, Todos Santos has also been a congenial community for writers. The 5th annual writers’ workshop returns to the atmospheric Casa Dracula, and in addition to its usual seminars and speakers, publishing roundtables and other literary pursuits, will for the first time in 2018 feature a poetry workshop. The instructor for the first-ever poetry workshop is award-winning poet, translator and journalist Christopher Merrill, who also serves as the director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

Todos Santos Art Festival/Open Studios Tour – Feb 10 – 11, 2018

Ever since painter Charles Stewart and his wife Mary Lou moved to Todos Santos in 1985, the town has been famed for its thriving artists’ colony. The best introduction to the region’s abundance of talented artists is the yearly Open Studios Tour, the 9th edition of which is scheduled for Feb. 10 – 11, 2018. Approximately 40 local artists will participate this year, including painters, sculptors, photographers, muralists, plein air painters, encaustic artists, jewelers, printmakers, collage artists, potters, and wood turners. The Palapa Learning Center will offer a special stop on the tour, and will showcase a sampling of 20 selected tour artists’ work for sale. Additionally, the Palapa Society’s child artists will also be working in their “studio” with work on display.

Todos Santos Film Festival – March 7 – 11, 2018

This annual showcase for Mexican and Latin American films was founded in 1994, and is based each year at the historic Teatro-Cine Manuel Marquez de Leon, a landmark 70+ year old movie theater that overlooks the town square in Todos Santos. The 15th edition of the coastal pueblo magico‘s acclaimed festival de cine is set for March 7 – 11, 2018, and will include full-length films, as well as shorts, documentaries, and projects from the local Youth in Video program. Additional screenings will take place in nearby Pescadero, and Baja California Sur’s capital city, La Paz.

 For more information about local events, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.

Photo courtesy of the Tropic of Cancer Concert Series.

 Upcoming Event Calendar

December

San José del Cabo Art Walk – Thursday evenings, 5 – 9 p.m., November through June

LigaMAC Christmas Party – Dec. 5

Dressed to the K-9s Charity Gala – Dec. 8

Sabor a Cabo International Food and Wine Festival –  Dec. 9

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Whale Watching Season – Mid-December to Mid-March

Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Día de los Inocentes – Dec. 28

5k Run or Walk in Todos Santos – Dec. 30

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve with DJ Paul Oakenfold at Blue Marlin Ibiza/ME Cabo Hotel – Dec. 31

Gatsby Theme New Year’s Eve Party at Casa Dorada Los Cabos Resort & Spa – Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Party with Major Lazer at The Cape: A Thompson Hotel – Dec. 31

January

Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) – Jan. 6

International Festival of Yoga in Todos Santos – Jan. 5 – 7

Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 11 – 21

Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament – Jan. 15 – 19

Los Cabos Mountain Marathon – Jan. 20

La Ventana Classic (Kiteboard and Windsurfing Tournament) – Jan. 17 – 21

Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 27 – Feb. 3

 February

Todos Santos Open Artists’ Studio Tour –  Feb. 10 – 11

Carnaval La Paz – Feb. 8 – 13

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Sunset da Mona Lisa – February 14

Los Barriles Dog Show – Dates Not Yet Announced

 March

Todos Santos Film Festival – March 7 – 11

Baja Shakespeare Festival – March 9 – 11, 14 – 17

El Triunfo Arts & Crafts Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced

East Cape Arts Festival – March 18

Fiestas Patronales in San José del Cabo – March 14 – 19

Semana Santa – March 25 – 31

Annual Cheese & Wine Festival at Sheraton Hacienda del Mar – Dates Not Yet Announced

April

Paws n’ Claws Golf Tournament and Dinner – Dates Not Yet Announced

NORRA Mexican 1000 – April 20 – 26

Koral Pets Race – Dates Not Yet Announced

 May

482nd La Paz Foundation Festival – May 3

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

El Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day) – May 10

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – May 19 – 20

White Party at Blue Marlin Ibiza – Dates Not Yet Announced