Even before the champagne bottles pop and the fireworks explode over Medano Beach, expectations are already high for what the New Year will
bring to always sunny Los Cabos.
Despite travel concerns over the latest Covid variant, Los Cabos has already regained and exceeded pre-pandemic tourist numbers with a simple formula: safety first, last and always. Los Cabos was the first Pacific destination to receive the Travel Safety Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council, and continues to lead the way among all Mexican tourist destinations with its forward-thinking health and safety guidelines.
Luckily, safety and fun aren’t mutually exclusive.
Large-scale events are still in hiatus as 2022 dawns, but smaller events –particularly those with a built-in social distancing element, like golf or fishing tournaments – continue to be held, with often spectacular results. After another record shattering season for Bisbee’s fishing tournaments, for example, golf season now tees off with the upcoming Los Cabos Pro-Am in January.
Cultural events also continue to be a popular activities option for visitors, none more so than the weekly art-focused to-dos in each of the cape cities: Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo, and Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas. Todos Santos, a popular day-trip destination from Los Cabos, also beckons with its series of annual cultural events celebrating, music, literature, art and cinema.
And, of course, there’s the biggest event of them all – whale watching – which is in peak season throughout January.
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27
The historic Gallery District in San Jose del Cabo takes center stage each Thursday evening during high tourist season–November through June–when residents and visitors alike are invited to stroll its cobblestone streets and peruse the many eclectic fine arts galleries. Art Walk hours are 5 to 9 p.m., when the neighborhood comes alive with wine, cheese and guided tours, as well as colorful street artists and strolling mariachis.
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28
Art Walk may be the premier weekly cultural event in San Jose del Cabo, but Viva La Plaza holds that distinction in Cabo San Lucas. Held each Friday evening from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Land’s End city’s principal plaza – Plaza Amelia Wilkes – this weekly showcase lures visitors with regional paintings and handicrafts, artfully arrayed around the recently renovated square’s charming central gazebo. Live music and traditional Mexican dance are also big draws, as are food stalls featuring tasty Mexican favorites.
Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament – Jan. 9th to 13th
The Los Cabos Pro-Am, long a fixture on the regional golf calendar, has seen some changes this year…and they’re good! The tournament had been split up into two separate events last year, each on acclaimed local layouts – at Twin Dolphin and Cabo del Sol. This year, the two courses are both included in the same tournament. The action begins with two rounds at the Tom Weiskopf designed Desert Course at Cabo del Sol, and concludes with a final round at Twin Dolphin, a design collaboration by Todd Eckenrode and legendary player and former Masters Champion Fred Couples that premiered in 2018. Teams consist of 5 players – 4 amateurs and one pro – with participants competing in a best ball format over 54 holes for daily and overall prizes (for both teams and pros). Entry fees include luxurious accommodation packages at local resorts.
Tropic of Cancer Concert Series – January 12th to 16th
Former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck pioneered jam culture in Todos Santos with this acclaimed 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 his musical legacy lives on. The annual Tropic of Cancer Concert Series premiered in 2017 and, after a pandemic hiatus in 2021, returns for its sixth anniversary in 2022. This year’s festival is sponsored by Baja Brewing Company, and boasts an all-star lineup featuring Mother Hips, Susto, Cordovas, Holy Spirits, The Jag, La Victoria, The Charities, and many others.
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 30th to Feb. 5th; Feb. 7th to 11th
Best known for its painters, Todos Santos has also proved a congenial community for writers. The 9th annual writers workshop returns to the atmospheric Casa Dracula–an historic 19th century hacienda–where creative writers are encouraged with seminars and speakers, publishing roundtables, and a variety of craft workshops that focus on fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry and other literary genres. A second weeklong session is optional for those who want to dig deeper or explore an alternative writing genre, and special online sessions are also available. Instructors for this year’s workshops include Natalie Serber (fiction), Jeanne McCulloch (memoir), Karen Karbo (memoir), Christopher Merrill (poetry) and Rex Weiner (writing strategies for getting started or “unstuck”).
Whale Watching Season – Mid-December to Mid-April
Each winter some 5,000 to 10,000 blue, gray, humpback and other whales migrate from their arctic feeding grounds to breed in the shallow water coves and inlets of beautiful Baja California Sur. In this regard these leviathans of the deep are very much like the snowbirds who flock to cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo to escape frigid winter temperatures in the U.S. and Canada. The only real difference–aside from the obvious anatomical ones–is one of scale. The longest mammalian migration ever recorded was in 2014, when a gray whale dubbed Varvara traveled over 14,000 miles round-trip from Russia to Cabo San Lucas. Humpbacks, however, are the most commonly seen whale in Los Cabos waters. The season officially starts on December 15th and extends through mid-April, with a variety of tour options available.
Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Season – Mid-November to Mid-March
Each winter, from mid-November through mid-March, strong El Norte winds blow hundreds of miles down the Sea of Cortés, creating ideal wind and kite surfing conditions in many coastal areas of Baja California Sur. During this yearly breezy season, small East Cape communities like Los Barriles and La Ventana become meccas for world-class kitesurfers, kiteboarders and windsurfers, who flock to regional beaches for a chance to grab big air over offshore waves.
For more information about events, activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.
Photo credit: The Official Art Walk San Jose del Cabo
Upcoming Events Calendar
December
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
Studio 54 New Year’s Eve Party at Casa Dorada – Dec. 31
January
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28
Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Twin Dolphin and Cabo del Sol – Jan. 9 – 13
Tropic of Cancer Music Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 12 – 16
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 30 – Feb. 5; Feb. 7 – 11
February
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 30 – Feb. 5; Feb. 7 – 11
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25
Todos Santos Open Studio Tour – Feb. 4 – 6
Valentine’s Day– Feb. 14
Carnaval in La Paz – Feb. 26 – Mar. 1
Cabo Collegiate Golf Tournament at Querencia – Feb. 27 – Mar. 1
March
Cabo Collegiate Golf Tournament at Querencia – Feb. 27 – Mar. 1
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Mar. 4, 11, 18, 25
East Cape Arts Festival – Mar. 20
April
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Apr. 7, 14, 21, 28
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Apr. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Semana Santa – Apr. 10 – 17
End of Whale Watching Season – Apr. 15
May
Cinco de Mayo – May 5
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 5, 12, 19, 26
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – May 6, 13, 20, 27
Dia de la Madre – May 10
Warren Hill’s Los Cabos Jazz Festival – May 15 – 18
Premier Golf Pro-Am Tournament – May 15 – 21
June
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jun. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Jun. 3, 10, 17, 24
July
East Cape Dorado Shootout – Jul. 16
August
Los Cabos Open of Tennis – Aug. 1 – 6
Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore – Aug. 2 – 6
East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot – Aug. 20
September
Mexican Independence Day – Sep. 16
October
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 16 – 20
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – Oct. 20 – 23
Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 25 – 29
November
Day of the Dead – Nov. 2
SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 15 – 20
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