[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”5099″ border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Festival de Los Oceanos, Cancun and Playa del Carmen, June 6-14
For the third year running, Cancun and Playa del Carmen are gearing up for the Festival of the Oceans to celebrate the beauty of our fragile blue world and raise awareness about the urgent need to protect it.
The program features a sailboat regatta, art and photo exhibits, seminars given by marine biologists on the threats facing our seas, a beach cleaning day on the island of Contoy and a concert. There will also be an intercollegiate cooking contest at the Universidad del Caribe and Cancun Aquarium showcasing lionfish recipes created by the aspiring chefs.
Originally from the Indo-Pacific region, the lionfish is an exotic pest that has spread through the Caribbean, decimating fish stocks. The first lionfish are thought to have escaped from an aquarium in Florida after a hurricane and because they have no natural predators in the area, they have reached plague proportions. One of the ways to eradicate them is to encourage fishermen to hunt them and restaurants to put lionfish on the menu. Lionfish fillets are tasty and chefs and catering students are finding innovative ways to serve them.
The Festival organizers include Delphinus, the Cancun and Playa del Carmen Municipal authorities, CONANP, CANIRAC, Universidad del Caribe and Universidad Tec Milenio.
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Isla Mujeres honors the gentle whale shark with art, dance, music and a program of seminars. Visitors can also plan a boat trip out to the whale shark feeding grounds during their stay on the island.
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Conferences and workshops, wine tastings, art, music, wine dinners and the vendimia or wine harvest evening.
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In October, Merida will be hosting FICMAYA, an international festival celebrating Maya culture and the arts.
The theme of the 2015 festival is Science reflected in the Architecture, Time and Landscape of the Mayab. It brings together researchers, artists and the representatives of Mayan communities from Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas, the Central American countries of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador and other countries. All share a love of Maya culture. This year, Quintana Roo is the guest state and Cuba the guest country, chosen for its strong ties to the Yucatán through history.
Details of the festival program will be revealed in July and will include academic seminars on aspects of the Maya culture and the latest discoveries made by researchers; theater, concerts, dance, art exhibitions and movies. A selection of events from the famous Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato will also be featured.
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Hosted by Xcaret Park, the Festival of Life and Death Traditions showcases one of Mexico’s richest and most colorful customs, the Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos, which takes place on November 1 and 2. At this time of year, Mexicans believe that the souls of the departed are permitted to return to the world of the living for a short time and they welcome their loved ones back with altars laden with flowers, food, treasured possessions and other offerings, and with candlelit vigils, masses and serenades.
The Festival program features processions, altars, traditional cuisine, art exhibits, music, dance, theater, children’s events and a visit to the colorful Mexican cemetery.
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The line up for the 2015 Riviera Maya Jazz Festival includes Gino Vanelli in his second appearance at the event, Dweezil Zappa, son of the legendary Frank Zappa, the Zawinul Legacy Band founded by a former member of Weather Report, Dirty Loops and Mexican band Resorte, among others.
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