What's on in Playa del Carmen, Mexico through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year peak, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Dry season (15 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Christmas and New Year peak (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Busy — US spring break

• Holiday

  US spring break

  25 Feb – 5 Apr · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  March fills Quinta Avenida with American students working their way down from Cancun. The beach clubs run at capacity and the town's quieter blocks west of the avenue are barely touched by it. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season (15 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — US spring break, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: US spring break (25 Feb – 5 Apr (usually)), Dry season (15 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — US spring break

• Season

  Sargassum season

  1 Apr – 30 Sep · usuallyRisk

  Brown seaweed piles up on the east-facing sand, worst from May to August. Hotels rake their own stretch at dawn; the public beaches wait, and it rots fast enough to smell by afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: US spring break (25 Feb – 5 Apr (usually)), Dry season (15 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Sea turtle nesting

  1 May – 31 Oct

  Loggerheads and greens nest on the strip between Playa and Xcacel from May, with hatchling releases into October. Nests are roped off and the beachfront lights are meant to be shaded.

Still on: Sargassum season (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Hazard

  Hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  The Atlantic season runs June to November, with almost all of the Yucatan's activity between mid-August and mid-October. Most weeks pass with nothing more than a wet afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Sargassum season (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Sargassum season (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Sargassum season (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Sargassum season (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Day of the Dead

• Festival

  Day of the Dead

  30 Oct – 2 NovMajor festivalCrowded

  The Yucatec version, Hanal Pixan, is a family and cemetery affair rather than a parade. Xcaret's ticketed festival south of town stages it at scale over four nights and sells out early. Source ↗

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Day of the Dead

• Season

  Dry season

  15 Nov – 30 Apr · usually

  The trades settle, the cenotes and the reef go clear, and the beach is usually free of weed. It is also when a room costs double what it does in September.

Still on: Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Day of the Dead (30 Oct – 2 Nov)

Busy — Christmas and New Year peak, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year peak

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Mexican and North American holidays land on the same fortnight, the most expensive of the year here. The highway from Cancun airport backs up all afternoon and restaurants move to set menus. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season (15 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))