In 2027, MLK Day is January 18; Presidents' Day and Family Day share Monday, February 15; Ontario's March Break runs March 15 to 19; the US spring breaks we checked fall between March 8 and April 30; Easter Sunday is March 28; Canadian Thanksgiving is October 11 and US Thanksgiving November 25. Winter weeks bring Cancun's earliest sunsets and, usually, its clearest water; our prices are the same on every date.
Most families don't choose their travel dates; the school calendar does. So here is 2027 in one table: each main US and Canadian break, Cancun's sunset that week, what the sea usually does and the session time that fits, plus the guide for each week.
2027 Breaks at a Glance
Dates come from official calendars read on November 14, 2026 (sources at the end); check your own school's before booking flights. Sunsets are our calculation for the Cancun Hotel Zone, in Cancun time, checked against the US Naval Observatory; the sea notes sum up our own guides for a typical year, and the session times assume a 60-minute session.
| Week | What to know |
|---|---|
| New Year's weekSat Dec 26, 2026 to Sun Jan 3, 2027 | OffWinter break runs through Jan 1 in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Chicago and New York City; Houston ISD and Chicago students return Jan 5, after a staff day, and Mexican schools on Jan 7.Sunset6:13 to 6:18 pmSeaDry, though a norte can bring a windy day; sargassum usually minimal. Among the busiest weeks of the year.Book5:00 pm ends in golden light; 7:30 am starts just after sunrise.GuideNew Year's Eve in Cancun with kids |
| MLK weekendSat Jan 16 to Mon Jan 18 | OffA US federal holiday; schools close in Houston, Chicago and New York City. Toronto's elementary schools have a PA day on Friday, Jan 15.Sunset6:27 to 6:28 pmSeaDry and breezy, in the clearest-water season.Book5:00 pm ends in golden light; 7:30 am starts at sunrise.GuideBest months for photos in Cancun |
| Presidents' Day and Family DaySat Feb 13 to Mon Feb 15 | OffWashington's Birthday (US) and Family Day (Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta), both Monday, Feb 15. Toronto and Vancouver students are also off Friday, Feb 12; New York City's midwinter recess runs Feb 15 to 19.Sunset6:44 to 6:45 pmSeaDry, with occasional cold fronts; sargassum usually minimal. Crowds spike for Presidents' Day.Book5:30 pm ends in golden light, about 15 minutes before sunset.GuideCancun with kids from Canada |
| March BreakMar 1 to 25, by province | OffMontreal's semaine de relâche, Mar 1 to 5; Ontario, Mar 15 to 19; Vancouver, Mar 15 to 25.Sunset6:51 to 7:00 pm; 6:56 to 6:58 pm in Ontario's weekSeaDry and warm, with some windy days; sargassum low, starting to build in spring.Book7:00 am meets the sunrise; a 6:00 pm start, arranged on WhatsApp, ends around sunset.GuideMarch Break family photos |
| US spring breakMar 8 to Apr 30, by district | OffHouston ISD, Mar 8 to 12; Chicago Public Schools, Mar 22 to 26; NYC Public Schools, Apr 22 to 30.Sunset6:54 pm on Mar 8 to 7:12 pm on Apr 30SeaCrowds run very high in mid-March; sargassum usually starts to arrive in April.BookSunrise is our spring break tip: 6:30 or 7:00 am, depending on the date.GuideHotel Zone photos during spring break |
| EasterFri Mar 26 to Mon Mar 29 | OffGood Friday is off in every calendar we checked; Easter Sunday is Mar 28. Edmonton's break follows, Mar 30 to Apr 2; Mexico's runs Mar 22 to Apr 3.Sunset7:00 to 7:01 pmSeaCrowds run high in Holy Week; sargassum usually low but starting to build.Book6:30 or 7:00 am, around the 6:43 to 6:46 am sunrise.GuideSpring break and Easter 2027 with kids |
| SummerLate May to August | OffIn the US and Canadian calendars we checked, classes end between May 28 (Houston) and late June (Toronto, New York City); Mexico's school year runs to July 9. Canada Day (Thu, Jul 1) and the Fourth of July (observed Mon, Jul 5) are four days apart.Sunset7:04 to 7:33 pm, latest in early JulySeaHot and humid; sargassum peaks from June to August, and hurricane season starts June 1.Book6:30 am, before the heat builds; evening times near sunset go through WhatsApp.GuideCancun in summer with kids |
| Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus DaySat Oct 9 to Mon Oct 11 | OffThanksgiving in Canada and Columbus Day, a US federal holiday, both on Monday, Oct 11.Sunset6:26 to 6:28 pmSeaLate rains at the end of the busiest hurricane weeks; sargassum tapering.Book5:00 pm ends in golden light, 5:30 pm just after sunset.GuideCancun in October with kids |
| US ThanksgivingThu Nov 25 to Sun Nov 28 | OffThanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov 25; check your district's 2027-28 calendar for the rest of the week.Sunset6:04 pm, the earliest of the yearSeaShowers and the first nortes; sargassum usually minimal; hurricane season ends Nov 30. The first big winter rush.Book5:00 pm ends in golden light, minutes before sunset; 7:00 am starts at sunrise.GuideCancun in November and Thanksgiving week |
New Year's week returns at the end of 2027: January 1, 2028 is a Saturday, observed by US federal offices on Friday, December 31, and from December 26 to January 2 the sun sets between 6:13 and 6:17 pm.
Best Light and Calmest Sea
Given a choice, winter wins on water. Every break from New Year's week to March Break falls in the stretch our sargassum season guide calls the clearest of the year, roughly November to March. The seaweed usually starts to arrive in April and peaks from June to August.
Presidents' Day and Family Day weekend, February 13 to 15: winter water, a 6:45 pm sunset that leaves time for dinner after a session, and extra days off in Toronto, Vancouver and New York City. Our best months for photography guide rates February the best month overall.
Winter has one catch, the norte. From November to February, a cold front can bring a windy day with choppy water, and the air after one is often the clearest of the year, as our guide to Cancun in December explains. In any month, the sea tends to be calmest and cleanest at sunrise, before the wind builds.
“patient with our family, especially with two little kids during a windy beach session”
Ashley H., Google review
The light favors winter for young kids, too. From Thanksgiving week to Presidents' Day the sun sets between 6:04 and 6:45 pm, so a 5:00 or 5:30 pm session ends before dinner. Summer sunsets come as late as 7:33 pm, so mornings often suit little ones better; our sunset and golden hour times by month cover the whole year.
Storms run the other way: the Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Our Cancun hurricane season guide explains how to plan around it.
Long Weekends and Clock Changes
US law sets Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January, Washington's Birthday, or Presidents' Day, on the third Monday of February and Columbus Day on the second Monday of October. Alberta sets Family Day on the third Monday of February and Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, so both always fall on the same Monday as a US federal holiday; in 2027 Ontario and British Columbia also mark Family Day on February 15. Edmonton Public Schools adds one more long weekend, with no classes on Thursday and Friday, February 25 and 26, for a teachers' convention.
Clocks matter in March. US clocks spring forward on March 14, the second Sunday of the month, while Cancun stays on UTC-5 all year under Mexico's time zone law. Until then Cancun shares New York's clock; afterward it runs an hour behind, so a 7:00 am start feels like 8:00 am to East Coast kids.
Spring Break and Easter Crowds
Between March 1 and April 3 the breaks in our sample come one after another, and Mexico's school break, March 22 to April 3, covers Holy Week, which our best-months guide flags for crowds. In weeks like these our first choice is sunrise, when the sand is quiet and the sea at its calmest. In the Hotel Zone the clubs cluster around Punta Cancun, so look farther along the beach. Our spring break and Easter 2027 guide goes week by week, and our March Break guide covers the Canadian side.
Booking Any Week of 2027
School breaks change the crowds and the light, not our prices: our six collections cost 295 to 895 USD at a fixed price on every date. For families we recommend The Chapter, 60 minutes, 35 edited photos and one look for 475 USD, with no limit on people and no per-person charge, so grandparents and cousins are welcome.
Online booking at ivaestudios.com/book offers 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm, Cancun time; we arrange any other hour on WhatsApp. There is no deposit: you pay at the end of the session, by card or in cash, and cancellation is free until one day before, so you can book as soon as your dates are set. A sneak peek arrives within 24 hours, your private gallery in 1 to 3 business days. Some hotels charge a fee for outside photographers, paid by the guest to the hotel; we confirm your hotel's rule first.
“coordinating a perfect time and day for my family's photoshoot”
Natalie H., Google review
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. See how we work with families on our Cancun family photographer page.
Sources Checked
All read on November 14, 2026.
- Holidays: US Office of Personnel Management, 2027 and 2028 federal holidays; 5 U.S.C. 6103; the governments of British Columbia and Alberta.
- School calendars, 2026-27: Toronto District School Board, holidays as per Ontario's Ministry of Education; Vancouver School Board; Edmonton Public Schools; Centre de services scolaire de Montréal; Houston ISD, revised April 6, 2026; Chicago Public Schools; NYC Public Schools; Mexico's Secretariat of Public Education, bulletin 235 of July 15, 2026.
- Storms and clocks: US National Hurricane Center; NIST; Mexico's time zone law, last amended November 29, 2022.
- Sun and sea: sunrise, golden hour and sunset are our NOAA-method calculation for the Cancun Hotel Zone (21.135 N, 86.748 W), in Cancun time, with sunrise and sunset checked against the US Naval Observatory; the sea notes come from our sargassum, hurricane, best-months, March Break, November and December guides.