Must-see entertainment in Mexico City

One of Mexico City’s two wrestling venues, the 17,000-seat Arena México is taken over by a circus atmosphere each week, with flamboyant luchadores …

Graced with murals of the giants of Mexican song and enlivened by its own songsters – and an extensive tequila, mezcal and food menu – Tenampa is a…

Mexican and foreign indie movies are shown daily on 10 screens at the architecturally interesting Cineteca in Coyoacán in the south. In November the large…

The Ballet Folklórico de México is a two-hour festive blur of costumes, music and dance from all over Mexico. Tickets are usually available the day of the…

Named after legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker and famed Harlem jazz club Lenox Lounge, Parker & Lenox is part American-style diner (specializing in…

In trendy Roma, this three-story bar makes a nice place to unwind over mezcal or cocktails, especially during the week when the crowd thins out. On the…

The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and prestigious opera companies perform in Bellas Artes’ ornate theater, while chamber groups appear in the recital halls…

Welcome to the inferno. Red lighting and colorful artwork of dancers engulfed in flames set the mood at this cabaret-style dance hall, where you still see…

Fans of dance-hall music shouldn’t miss the outstanding orchestras or the graceful dancers who fill the vast floor of this atmospheric ballroom from 1937…

The lovely art deco building Frontón México hosts professional jai alai matches, one of the world's fastest ball sports, resembling squash. If you've…

This upstairs bar is a labyrinth with more moods than a house party. The live jazz plays out in an intimate living room, while the corner balcony…

Once a red-light venue, this cabaret has been reborn in the age of irony as a cradle of kitsch, with hilarious drag shows featuring traditional Mexican…

This sprawling cultural institute near Coyoacán has many free events across the artistic spectrum, including contemporary dance, theater, art shows and…

A vital component in the rebirth of the centro, Zinco is a subterranean supper club featuring local jazz and funk outfits as well as touring artists and…

Behind the graffiti-scrawled facade is Mexico City’s premier indie-rock club. A suitably dark, seatless space, the Alicia stages mostly up-and-coming punk…

Leading Mexican and Latin American artists of varying musical genres (especially acoustic guitar, tango and jazz) play at this cafe-bookstore's intimate…

Cool young things pack the terrace of this place each weekend for its excellent DJ and live-music sessions. Located directly behind the cathedral, the…

A theater within a fine restaurant (La Bodega), this classic cabaret venue showcases some of Mexico’s more offbeat performers. Afterwards, catch top-notch…

With liberal doses of politically and sexually irreverent comedy and a genre-bending musical program, all in Spanish, this alternative cabaret is…

Some visionary developers took a historic building and transformed its stonewalled ground level into a restaurant-bar for various cultural happenings,…