The October Fiestas in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora are celebrated every year during the last week of September and the first week of October.
During this time hundreds of pilgrims walk from the international border to Magdalena to pay homage to the town’s patron saint of San Francisco Javier.
It is the biggest annual festival in Magdalena and one of the best annual fiestas in Northern Sonora.
Every year, from the last week of September to the Feast Day of San Francisco on October 4th, thousands of people gather in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora for the traditional fiestas de octubre (October fiestas). Participants include hundreds of the faithful who walk the 50 miles from the border to Magdalena, on a manda to show thanks to the saint for favors granted during the year. A figure of San Francisco in repose is the centerpiece of the fiestas, as a continually long line of people wait to touch and kiss the figure.
And following a belief that sinners and those who aren’t pure of heart can’t lift the saint, various visitors lift the image of San Francisco as they pass. If you plan to visit the fiestas, most of the festivities are centered around two nearby plazas – Plaza Monumental and Plaza Benito Juarez.
The streets around the area will be closed to vehicular traffic, so its best to leave your vehicle at the hotel or find a parking place somewhere in the surrounding streets, and walk or take a taxi to the fiestas. The areas where the fiestas are celebrated are filled with vendors selling a variety of food, drinks and other items.
In addition to a multitude of food options available, from delicious churros, elotes (corn) and other snacks to carne asada and other Sonoran favorites, there are also dozens of vendors who come from various parts of Mexico to sell their goods. It is also a great place to find tourist products that you would normally not find in one place, from religious relics to clothing, jewelry, fabrics and curios.
