Mérida, Yucatan — The Chicharra Festival was somewhat of a wildcard. Would anyone come? Could this become an annual affair?
The results were impressive. So impressive, in fact, that the city won’t wait an entire year before bringing it back.
City tourism officials will indeed give a return engagement to the Festival de la Chicharra (or Pork Belly Festival, according to a rare English-language graphic shared on the city’s Facebook page). And we won’t have to wait a year.
The festival had the simple goal of energizing Xcalachén, a neighborhood south of the main square. Officials guessed that a festival on July 1 would bring 2,000 to 4,000 visitors, which merchants in the neighborhood considered optimistic.
But their goals were exceeded when around 10,000 attendees overwhelmed the space.
A politician told a radio show host Saturday morning that a quick encore will give chicharreros a second chance to reach customers, some of whom left empty-handed in the inaugural festival.
Related: Read about the origins of the Chicharra Festival
Source: Sipse
