Mexico Fest at Navy Pier this weekend

Navy Pier will host its free Global Connections: Mexico Fest from Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 3, with music, dance, art and food across the lakefront complex. (navypier.org) The festival runs noon to 6 p.m. each day, with programming centered at the Ferrara Candy Wave Wall Stage, the Family Pavilion, the Food Experience Corridor and Craft Corner. (navypier.org) Friday’s posted schedule starts with a mercadito artisan market from noon to 6 p.m., then moves into performances by Pachanga Chicago DJs, Ballet Folklórico de Ensenada, Mariachi Mexicanísimo, Ballet Folklorico de Chicago and Mariachi EDC. (navypier.org) Navy Pier says the event is part of its Global Connections series, which stages free cultural festivals tied to Chicago communities and international partners. Mexico Fest is the final entry in that series this spring. (navypier.org 1) (navypier.org 2) Time Out Chicago lists Mexico Fest among the city’s headline events for the May 1 to May 3 weekend, placing it in the same early-May calendar as other seasonal outdoor programming. (timeout.com 1) (timeout.com 2) Navy Pier’s event pages describe the festival as all-ages and free, with live performances, interactive activities and family programming spread through the pier rather than behind a ticketed gate. (navypier.org) (navypier.org) Other local event listings say Navy Pier is presenting the festival with the Consulado General de México en Chicago and participating Mexican state governments, extending a format the pier has used for earlier Mexico Fest editions. (timeout.com) (mommypoppins.com) For visitors, the practical detail is simple: the festival opens Friday at noon, admission is free, and the first announced performances begin at 3 p.m. on May 1. (navypier.org)