Guadalajara Reporter - Fiestas come alive at night

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Fiestas come alive at night

Written by Leo Palmer

Saturday, 11 October 2008

GUADALAJARA - If you spend a weekday at the Benito Juarez auditorium you may end up asking yourself, “Fiestas de Octubre . . . or Siestas de Octubre?” But if you spend an evening there, no doubt you’ll discover why the Fiestas de Octubre have their glowing reputation as “la festividad más famosa de Guadalajara.”

While most days at the Fiestas de Octubre are sleepy, even at the extremely popular ice rink, the party spirit awakens fully in the evenings.

On a weekday, the auditorium resembles an awkward hybrid between a mall, a market and a funfair. Inside the neatly laid out market stalls, the things on sale seem to be overpriced versions of things you would normally find in a market. Overall, the place is pretty characterless, with its mish-mash of promotional stores, prize stalls, empty restaurants and funfair rides.

There are still plenty of things to do. For the 25-peso entrance fee, you can go ice skating on the 600 square-meter ice rink and watch the seal show. Or, for a little extra, you can brave the House of Horrors, have your face painted or learn about myths and legends in the house of “Mitos fantasticos.” It’s just that on a weekday there isn’t really any ‘fiesta’ atmosphere.

The evenings are a different matter all together: the whole place transforms into a miniature carnival. The rather insipid atmosphere of the day becomes lively and vibrant. The restaurants and bars, more often than not with live musicians, fill up with high-spirited crowds. All the attractions of the day remain open, but now everyone seems to be having a good time.

It was probably with the auditorium’s evening festivities in mind that Alonso Ulloa, Council President of the Fiestas de Octubre, said, “In this month we will celebrate happiness, imagination and respect without rest.”

You can also celebrate the Fiestas at the auditorium’s Palenque. Here you can watch famous singers perform live and cockfights; although unfortunately not at the same time.

Vicente Fernandez (“Rey de las rancheras”) and his son Alejandro will perform in the Palenque on October 9 through 11 and October 16 through 18 and 30th respectively. Ticket prices range from 400 to 1200 pesos for Vicente and 500 to 1500 pesos for Alejandro.

The Foro Prinicpal features different shows ranging from Lucha Libre wrestling matches to stand-up comedians and music concerts. The dubiously named Nigga will be playing on 14th October.

Whether you go to see a show or just to have dinner and soak up the atmosphere, an evening trip to the Benito Juarez auditorium is a worthwhile outing. The 43rd Fiestas de Octubre have not lost their edge – Fiesta veterans who marvel at the colourful wizards and dragons in the house of Mitos fantásticos might just feel like they’re back in 1965 when it all began.