3 Artists Confirmed for 2026 Xmatkuil Fair Concerts
Yucatán’s biggest annual fair has released the first names on its concert bill, and this year’s lineup leans heavily on regional Mexican music.
The Feria Yucatán Xmatkuil 2026 has confirmed three headliners so far: Carín León, Marco Antonio Solís — better known as “El Buki” — and Christian Nodal. All three shows will take place at the Centro de Espectáculos Montejo, the fairgrounds’ main concert venue, during the fair’s run from Nov. 6 to 29.
State fair organizers say that they are confident this year’s event will be the best attended ever. Photo: Courtesy. File photo
The Xmatkuil Fair is the Peninsula’s largest event of its kind on the whole peninsula. Photo: CourtesyFile photo
Aside from cattle, other animals such as sheep, turkeys, and swine are also displayed and sold. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán MagazineFile photo
The first Xmatkuil fair was held in 1974 almost exclusively as a caddle show but has run (except for 2020 and 2021) and grown continuously.File photo
Xmatkuil fairgrounds south of Merida.File photo
Carín León opens the run on Friday, Nov. 13. The Sonora-born singer got his start fronting the banda group Grupo Arranke before going solo in 2018, and he’s since become one of the genre’s biggest crossover acts, blending banda and norteño with country, soul and rock influences. He’s collaborated with artists including Kacey Musgraves and Kane Brown and has racked up multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy wins. Tickets for his Xmatkuil show are expected to run from MX$700 to MX$4,000 (about US$41 to US$235), with sales set to open Friday, Aug. 28.
The next night, Saturday, Nov. 14, brings Marco Antonio Solís, a fixture of Mexican popular music for five decades. Solís first rose to fame as the frontman of Los Bukis, the group behind romantic ballads like “Tu Cárcel,” before launching a solo career in the 1990s that produced a long run of hits and a 2022 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year honor. Tickets for his performance are expected between MX$800 and MX$3,500 (about US$47 to US$206), also going on sale Aug. 28.
Christian Nodal closes out the trio of shows on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 10 p.m. Nodal, known for songs like “Botella tras botella” and “Adiós amor,” has built a following blending mariachi-style horns with contemporary regional Mexican production. Unlike the other two acts, tickets for his concert are already on sale through TusBoletos.mx, priced at MX$550 for general admission, MX$1,650 for the Gradas section, MX$1,980 for VIP and MX$2,750 for Diamante (roughly US$32 to US$162).
Organizers say more names, including free concerts, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks to round out the musical program.
Xmatkuil itself is one of the largest fairs in southeastern Mexico. What began in 1974 as a livestock exhibition on the grounds of a former henequen hacienda south of Mérida has grown into a monthlong event that regularly draws well over a million visitors. Beyond the concert stages, the fairgrounds fill with carnival rides, cattle and horse shows, artisan vendors selling everything from hammocks to pottery, and food stalls serving up regional dishes. Last year’s edition packed in more than 113,000 people in a single day.
The fair traditionally spreads its entertainment across several venues, with the Centro de Espectáculos Montejo hosting the big-ticket concerts while the Palenque and Teatro del Pueblo stages offer separate programming, including comedy acts and regional performers, often at little or no cost.
Quick Facts
- Fair dates: Nov. 6-29, 2026
- Location: Xmatkuil fairgrounds, south of Mérida
- Confirmed concerts: Carín León (Nov. 13), Marco Antonio Solís (Nov. 14), Christian Nodal (Nov. 21)
- Venue: Centro de Espectáculos Montejo
- Nodal tickets: On sale now via TusBoletos.mx
- Carín León and Solís tickets: On sale starting Aug. 28
- Full lineup: Additional artists and free shows expected soon
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
