Tulum opened the Tulum Air Show 2026 and the NASCAR Tulum 100 on Thursday, April 23, launching four days of aviation conferences, military air displays and motorsport activities centered on Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, Military Air Base No. 12 and, later in the weekend, Parque del Jaguar. The start of the program also activates a transport and access plan that will shape how residents, workers and visitors move through key areas of the municipality through April 26.
The opening matters in Tulum because the event is not only a public spectacle. It changes access to the airport zone, concentrates large crowds around the venue and tests how the municipality handles a multi-day event that combines tourism, logistics and public movement. Organizers expect between 10,000 and 15,000 attendees per day, a volume that could affect mobility, transport demand, business activity and circulation near the airport and the coast.
Thursday begins with conferences and controlled access
The first stage of the event starts on April 23 and 24 with specialized conferences on air safety and aviation fairs at Hotel Mundo Maya Tulum and installations at Military Air Base No. 12, which sits next to the international airport. According to the program, the sessions are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Those first two days are expected to bring together aviation specialists, military authorities and industry representatives for presentations and meetings focused on the aerospace sector. Organizers said around 3,000 participants linked to the specialized segment are expected during that part of the program.
That means the event begins as more than a weekend attraction. From Thursday onward, the airport area becomes a working venue for conferences, exhibitions and transport operations, with broader public activities building as the schedule moves into Friday and Saturday.
For local readers, the immediate change is practical. The program is already underway, and access to the venue will depend on collective transportation and pre-arranged routes rather than private vehicle access.
Transport becomes central from the first day
César Maldonado Duarte, identified in the base text as a member of the Mexican Air Force committee, said the logistics plan was designed around collective transport because there is no parking available inside the main venue at the air base near the airport. He said private vehicles will not be allowed to enter the site.
That restriction is one of the clearest effects of the event starting Thursday. Residents heading toward the airport corridor, workers assigned to the venue, visitors staying in town and spectators planning to attend the public portions of the event will all need to rely on the transport system set up for these four days.
Organizers said transfer points will operate from the Tren Maya parking area in Tulum and from other authorized spaces. They also said concessioned transportation will carry attendees into the base and help them return at the end of activities with accessible fares.
ADO has also enabled a special route between the ADO terminal in central Tulum and the Military Air Base, with a stop at the Zamná Tulum parking area. According to the information provided by organizers, the service will operate on different schedules throughout the event and tickets start at 105 pesos.
The NASCAR segment will also have its own access scheme. Organizers said two official parking areas will be available, one in San Antonio, about seven to eight minutes from the airport, and another in Muyil, across from the ruins, about five minutes from the venue. Both sites are scheduled to operate from 2:00 p.m. to midnight and will connect attendees to the event through vans, taxis and shuttle-style buses. Access will require prior registration and a QR code because parking space is limited.
High attendance is expected through Sunday
Maldonado Duarte said daily attendance could range from 10,000 to 15,000 people once public visitors, specialized participants and NASCAR spectators are counted together. He said an additional 5,000 people interested in the air show are expected from the region, the peninsula and other parts of the country.
That attendance estimate gives the event a significance beyond entertainment. A crowd of that scale can translate into more hotel occupancy, more passenger movement, more pressure on transport services and a stronger flow of consumers through local businesses during the four-day program.
It also means the event directly affects several groups at once. Residents and workers near the airport zone may feel the impact first through mobility changes. Visitors will need to adapt to shuttle and bus-based access. Businesses linked to transport, tourism and services could see increased activity as the event unfolds. And public authorities will be measured on whether the access plan can handle the projected numbers without disrupting movement in one of the municipality’s busiest corridors.
The Tulum Times will be following that operational side closely because the success of the event may depend as much on transportation and access as on the shows themselves.
Air displays move from base to coast
The most visible public aviation displays are scheduled for the weekend. On April 25, the first major air show will take place at Military Air Base No. 12 inside the airport complex. Demonstrations are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.
Organizers said the program will include aircraft from the Mexican Air Force, including the acrobatic squadron Águilas Aztecas, and the Mexican Army parachute team Guerreros Águila, which is expected to perform precision jumps and tactical exhibitions before the public.
On April 26, the event shifts to Tulum’s coastal zone. Flights are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. above the beaches of Parque del Jaguar and the archaeological area, moving part of the program from the airport setting to one of the municipality’s most recognized public spaces.
That transition matters because the groups affected will also change. The first days are centered on the airport and military base. By Saturday, the event extends toward the coast, where tourists, beachgoers, tourism workers and businesses in the nearby area could feel the impact more directly.
NASCAR adds a second anchor event
Alongside the aviation schedule, the NASCAR México Tulum 100 forms the second major piece of the program. The race is scheduled at the airport’s FBO installations, with activities planned from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Organizers said the competition is part of a broader effort to diversify Tulum’s tourism offer through sports events. Maldonado Duarte also said this is the first time a NASCAR event is being held in the region, which could shape whether Tulum becomes a recurring venue for large-scale entertainment and sports programs.
He also said the event includes around 70 exhibition spaces for companies, government institutions and educational organizations, adding a business and promotional component to the schedule beyond the public displays and race activities.
Another distinction is access. Organizers said entry to the Air Show will be free, while NASCAR competitions will require paid admission. That difference could shape attendance patterns over the four days, especially as the public decides which parts of the program to attend and how to move between venues.
What changes for Tulum now
From Thursday through Sunday, the airport area becomes one of the main operational centers in Tulum for an event that combines conferences, military aviation and motorsport. The change begins immediately with controlled access, special transportation routes, limited parking and larger expected crowds.
For Tulum, the larger question is not only how many people attend, but whether the municipality can absorb an event of this size while keeping access ordered and movement workable for residents, workers and visitors. That is what changes from now on. The event is no longer an announcement. It is an active test of logistics, turnout and local capacity over four consecutive days.
What is at stake is whether the program can establish itself without creating avoidable pressure on mobility and access in key parts of the destination. Tulum Air Show 2026. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation on The Tulum Times’ social media. Should Tulum continue pursuing this kind of large-scale event around its airport and coastal zones?