Tulum hosts the second edition of Sombras del Agave from May 28 to 30, a three-day festival that brings mezcal masters and producers from across Mexico to three venues in the city.
The festival is organized by Mamazul Tulum and offers free public entry at all three sites. The seminars are also free of charge, with limited capacity and advance registration required. According to organizers, the goal is to connect Tulum residents and visitors with the families and communities behind some of Mexico's most distinctive distillates.
Three Tulum venues across three days
The opening day on May 28 takes place at the Explanada del Municipio de Tulum, on Avenida Tulum in the city center. The schedule includes an opening ceremony, mezcal seminars, Mexican gastronomy, artisans, a cacao experience, folk dance, a maguey fiber paper workshop, and live traditional Mexican music.
On May 29, programming moves to Mamazul Tulum in Aldea Zama, at Andador Kambull, Manzana 12, Lote 32. The second day will be more intimate, hosted inside the restaurant. Activities include seminars, tastings, a guest bartender appearance, signature cocktails, Mexican gastronomy, a cacao experience, live music with Caribe Cumbian Session, and a fire show.
The closing on May 30 happens at Naay, on Carretera Boca Paila Km 7.5, in Tulum's hotel zone, under the Mamazul on the Beach banner. The day combines regional Mexican food, seminars, signature cocktails, a guest bartender, artisans, a cacao experience, and live salsa music to send off the festival oceanfront.
Producers from ten Mexican states
The 2026 edition gathers mezcal houses and producers from across the country. The lineup includes representatives from Oaxaca, Durango, Jalisco, Chihuahua, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Puebla, and Estado de México, among other regions.
The geographic spread reflects the variety of agave landscapes in Mexico. Oaxaca remains the most recognized origin of mezcal, but agave distillates also carry deep traditions in Jalisco, Durango, Guerrero, and other states represented at the festival. Each region produces its own profiles of flavor and aroma, shaped by climate, altitude, and the specific agave species used.
The program also covers other traditional Mexican distillates, including tequila, raicilla, sotol, and bacanora. Several remain less familiar to international audiences than mezcal itself.
How to register for the Sombras del Agave seminars
The seminars are open to the public at no cost, but capacity is limited and registration is required in advance. Organizers ask interested attendees to register via WhatsApp at 984 137 8324.
Visitors who register for the seminars and attend the festival are automatically entered into a daily raffle for a dinner at Mamazul Tulum valued at 1,000 pesos. One raffle takes place each day, for a total of three winners across the three days.
A program built around education, not just tasting
According to the organization, the seminars are designed to give attendees direct contact with producers and their stories, methods, and regions. The format moves beyond tasting and toward education, with attention to aromas, fermentation techniques, agave varieties, and the cultural context behind each distillate.
The broader program reflects the same intention. Folk dance, the maguey fiber paper workshop, and the cacao experience extend the cultural reach of the event beyond drinking, framing mezcal within a wider set of Mexican traditions.
Institutional support from the municipality
Festival organizers acknowledged support from the Tulum municipal government. They thanked Tulum Municipal President Diego Castañón Trejo, Tourism Director Haydé Hernández Pastrana, and Revenue Director Rafael Martín Del Campo for backing the event.
The institutional involvement reflects a wider interest from the Tulum municipality in events that combine tourism, gastronomy, and Mexican cultural identity. For a destination often associated with beach tourism, festivals of this kind offer an alternative entry point built around national heritage.
About Mamazul Tulum
Mamazul Tulum is a mezcalería and Mexican restaurant in Aldea Zama. The venue presents itself as the most extensive offering of agave distillates in the region, working across mezcal, tequila, raicilla, sotol, bacanora, and other traditional Mexican spirits.
According to the organization, the festival is intended to become the most important cultural gathering around mezcal and agave distillates in the Mexican Caribbean. "Sombras del Agave was born as a celebration of Mexico, of its producing communities, and of the enormous cultural richness behind every agave distillate," festival organizers said. They added that the goal is to give Tulum an authentic, educational, and festive experience that connects locals, visitors, producers, and mezcal enthusiasts.
Registration for the seminars remains open via WhatsApp at 984 137 8324 ahead of the May 28 opening. With limited capacity and three days of programming spread across the city center, Aldea Zama, and the hotel zone, the festival's audience will be shaped in part by how quickly residents and visitors secure their spots.
Which Mexican distillate would you most like to discover this year, mezcal, raicilla, sotol, or bacanora? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.