By Alfredo Espinola
More than 200,000 people are expected to crowd the streets of Tequisquiapan, a “Pueblo Magico” in the Mexican state of Querétaro, starting May 7 for the 50th edition of the International Art, Cheese, and Wine Festival.
The event, which will last until May 24, will feature the output of more than 30 wineries from Mexico’s central wine region, as well as fine cheeses and wide diversity of art pieces.
A Calling That Became a Destination
There was a time in Tequisquiapan when wine was almost a secret—a discreet, contained production, closer to the domestic than to the ceremonial. Nothing foreshadowed that this quiet pulse would eventually become one of the municipality’s economic pillars.
Today, nearly 70 percent of its Gross Domestic Product depends on tourism.
Rodrigo Ibarra Lozano, Director of Tourism Promotion for Querétaro, said during the press conference for this event, that it not only brings people together and provides direction; it also solidifies the Art, Cheese, and Wine Route as one of the country’s most compelling narratives and naturally places the region on the map of international wine tourism.
Closer to home, Mayor Héctor Magaña Rentería refines the idea until it becomes an image: “During these days, Tequisquiapan ceases to be merely a host and becomes an experience. It does not merely preserve history: it traverses it, breathes it, makes it its own.”
The opening on May 7 will feature the Sedena (Secretariat of National Defense) Symphony Orchestra, setting a classical tone as a starting point. Afterward, the rhythm changes with several other musical groups, including Kabah, The Great Silence and Bronco.
The Domecq Riding School will introduce another rhythm: equestrian discipline and tradition, transformed into a spectacle.
And toward the end, the Correfest sporting event, which invites people to run in the midst of a celebration—which may seem like a contradiction; however, it isn’t—it simply becomes another way of inhabiting the same space.
Interested in learning more? Visit https://www.gob.mx/sectur/articulos/tequisquiapan-celebra-50-anos-del-festival-internacional-del-arte-queso-y-vino-2026