Around Cancun in 2027: carnival in early February; the Chichen Itza equinox on Saturday, March 20; Holy Week, March 21 to 28, with Mexico's school break to April 3; whale sharks from May 15 to September 17; Independence Day, September 16; Day of the Dead at the turn of October and November. On busy dates, we photograph at sunrise or on your resort's own beach.
A few dates a year change a family trip to Cancun: long weekends, festivals, the seasons of whale sharks and sea turtles. Here is 2027 in one table, with what each means for crowds, kids and photos.
2027 Events Month by Month
Holidays come from Mexican law and the school calendar; festival dates come from organizers, so those rows say "to be announced". Rows marked Sunrise or resort beach are when we expect busier public beaches and photograph at first light or on your hotel's own sand.
| When in 2027 | Event and crowds | With kids and photos |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1 to Sun, Jan 3; schools off to Jan 6 | New Year's Day long weekend. | Sunrise or resort beachBusier public beaches. |
| Sat, Jan 30 to Mon, Feb 1 | Constitution Day long weekend. Monday is a federal rest day, with no school. | Sunrise or resort beachBusier public beaches. |
| Early Feb, to be announced | Carnival in Cancun. Downtown; more than 88,000 people over six days in 2025. | Comparsas and food stands in the park, big concerts at night. Beach sessions as usual. |
| Sat, Mar 13 to Mon, Mar 15 | Benito Juarez Day long weekend. Monday is a federal rest day, with no school. | Sunrise or resort beachSpring break season too. |
| Sat, Mar 20, and the days around it | Spring equinox at Chichen Itza. 32,872 people came in 2025. | A long, hot day; in 2026 no food, tripods or camera lenses were allowed in. |
| Mar 21 to 28; schools off Mar 22 to Apr 3 | Holy Week and Mexico's spring school break. | Sunrise or resort beachBusy public beaches and parks. |
| May 15 to Sep 17 | Whale shark season. Up to 1,350 visitors a day in the reserve. | An open-sea boat trip; ask about ages. Photos on another day. |
| May to Oct or Nov | Sea turtle nesting. 10,132 nests in Cancun's beach corrals in 2025. | At hatchling releases: no touching, two meters back, no flash. |
| From Sat, Jul 10 | Mexico's summer school break. Classes end Friday, July 9. | Sunrise or resort beachBusier public beaches. |
| Thu, Sep 16 | Independence Day. A federal rest day. | Sunrise or resort beachBusier public beaches. |
| Late Oct to early Nov | Day of the Dead. Xcaret's festival ran Oct 30 to Nov 2 in 2026; 2027 to be announced. | A children's area at the festival. Beach sessions as usual. |
| Sat, Nov 13 to Mon, Nov 15 | Revolution Day long weekend. Monday is a federal rest day. | Sunrise or resort beachBusier public beaches. |
| Fri, Dec 31 | New Year's Eve. | See our New Year's Eve with kids plan. |
February: Carnival and a Long Weekend
The first Monday holiday of 2027 makes a long weekend from Saturday, January 30 to Monday, February 1, Constitution Day, a rest day under Article 74 of the Federal Labor Law and a school holiday.
Carnival moves with Easter. Easter Sunday 2027 is March 28, which puts Ash Wednesday on February 10 and carnival just before it. Cancun's city government announced its 2026 edition on January 31, 2026: February 12 to 17, with the burning of bad mood and comparsas in Parque de las Palapas, concerts at night on the Malecon Tajamar and a free closing concert at Beto Avila stadium. The city counted more than 88,000 people in 2025, describes the carnival as a space for families and kept a ban on alcohol sales at the 2025 edition. All of it is downtown, away from the Hotel Zone beaches. For Cozumel's carnival, we found no official 2027 dates yet.
March: Equinox, Holy Week and School Break
Monday, March 15 is the Benito Juarez holiday, so another long weekend runs March 13 to 15, during spring break season; our spring break and Easter 2027 guide lines up the breaks.
The equinox. The spring equinox falls on Saturday, March 20, at 3:25 pm Cancun time, per the U.S. Naval Observatory. On the days around it, says INAH, the federal institute that runs Chichen Itza, seven triangles of light and shadow form on the balustrade of the north staircase of the Temple of Kukulcan from about 3 to 5 pm and join the carved serpent head at its base. Chichen Itza is in Yucatan, one hour behind Cancun all year, so that is 4 to 6 pm Cancun time.
Crowds are large: 32,872 people came in 2025. In 2026 INAH closed the ticket windows at 4 pm local time and did not allow tripods, camera lenses, food or pets inside; drones were banned and professional photo gear needed a permit. If the 2027 rules are similar, with young kids that means a long drive, a hot crowd and no snacks. That year INAH suggested nearby sites such as Izamal, Ek' Balam, Uxmal and Kabah; its equinox operation also covered Tulum and Coba. See Mayan ruins with kids near Cancun and our INAH photo permits guide.
Holy Week. Palm Sunday is March 21, Good Friday March 26, Easter Sunday March 28 and Easter Monday March 29, and Mexico's Secretariat of Public Education set the school break from March 22 to April 3. With Mexican school vacation on top of spring break, we expect the busiest public beaches of the spring, so we plan sessions at sunrise or on your resort's beach.
May to September: Whale Sharks, Turtles and Summer
Whale sharks. The Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve, off the north coast of Quintana Roo, sets its season from May 15 to September 17 each year, with up to 160 boats and 1,350 visitors a day. Boats leave from Holbox and Chiquila and from ports south of Isla Contoy, such as Isla Mujeres and Cancun. Everyone in the water wears a life vest or a 4 mm wetsuit and stays at least two meters from the animals. Ask your operator about ages for children, and keep photos for another day. Staying on Holbox? See our Holbox family photo session guide.
Sea turtles. The City of Cancun says the nesting season runs from May to October or November each year. In 2025 its ecology department protected 10,132 nests in 52 beach corrals, nearly all of them green turtles. At a hatchling release, Mexico's federal standard NOM-162-SEMARNAT-2012 says visitors may not handle the hatchlings, must stay at least two meters behind them and may not use flash. Our sea turtle season guide covers photos near the nests.
Summer. Mexican schools close on Friday, July 9, 2027, so from July 10 we plan more sunrise sessions; our 2027 school breaks guide covers the rest of the year.
September to December: Holidays and Day of the Dead
Independence Day. September 16, a federal rest day, is a Thursday in 2027; we plan that week like a long weekend.
Day of the Dead. UNESCO has listed Dia de Muertos, celebrated at the end of October and the start of November, as intangible heritage since 2008. Grupo Xcaret held the 20th Festival de Vida y Muerte at Parque Xcaret, near Playa del Carmen, from October 30 to November 2, 2026, with altars, music, dance, food and a children's area; the 2027 dates were not out when we checked. See our Xcaret parks with kids guide.
Revolution Day. The holiday falls on Monday, November 15, making a long weekend from November 13 to 15.
Riviera Maya Jazz Festival. We found no official dates for a 2027 edition on November 14, 2026, so it is not in the table.
How We Plan Photos Around Event Days
On flagged dates we photograph at sunrise, when the sand is quietest, or on your resort's own beach; our guide to empty-beach photos in the Hotel Zone shows how. Online booking at ivaestudios.com/book offers 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm, Cancun time; other times go through WhatsApp. There is no deposit, you pay at the end by card or in cash, and cancellation is free until one day before. Some hotels charge outside photographers a fee, paid by you to the hotel; we confirm your hotel's rule first.
“quickly fit us into her schedule, and met us promptly for a morning shoot”
Gautami C., Google review
The Chapter, our pick for families, is 60 minutes and 35 edited photos for 475 USD, with no limit on people and no per-person charge. A preview arrives within 24 hours and the gallery in 1 to 3 business days. Our team, led by Vianey Díaz, brings more than 20 years of photography experience and has photographed thousands of families and couples; IVAE Studios has delivered more than 500 sessions since 2023 and holds 5.0 across 75 Google reviews. More on our Cancun family photographer page.
“They made the whole process easy and even came to our resort to do the pictures!”
Irma V., Google review
Choosing a month? See the best months for photography in Cancun and, for U.S. and Canadian holiday weekends, our 2027 wedding dates guide.
INAH bulletins 105 and 109 (March 12 and 17, 2026); U.S. Naval Observatory; GOV.UK (Easter 2027); SEP and the Diario Oficial (school calendar, July 15, 2026); Article 74 of the Federal Labor Law; Mexico's time zone law; the whale shark reserve's management program (July 9, 2015); NOM-162-SEMARNAT-2012; the City of Cancun's nesting season notice (June 16, 2024), turtle report (December 6, 2025) and carnival announcement (January 31, 2026), all Word files; UNESCO; the Festival de Vida y Muerte.