Mexico City At Night

Exploring Mexico City can be intimidating as it’s one of the world’s largest cities, but it’s also an exciting city to explore both day and night. You’ll find something to keep you going way past your bedtime, from museums and markets to rooftop bars, salsa squares and mariachi bands. With a wide variety of evening activities for both adults and children, the entire family will have a fun time in Mexico City at night.

Mexico City At Night

How To Stay Safe In Mexico City At Night

Staying safe in Mexico City at night involves knowing and obeying a few rules and following some recommended guidelines to avoid becoming a target of a crime. The emergency number in Mexico City is 911.

1- Know Where You Are Going

Always know where you are going when on foot, so research the route ahead and ensure you know how to get there.

Staring at your phone while walking is dangerous because people can tell when someone is not paying attention to their surroundings. If you don’t feel confident, it’s a good idea to join a night walking tour with a local guide.

2- Use Uber

Use an Uber or other private transportation to get around if you have to walk a long distance or through an unfamiliar part of town after dark.

Ensure the driver and vehicle license plate matches the Uber app information before getting in the vehicle.

Use a map app to track the Uber driver’s route to be sure it is headed in the right direction.

3- No Cash

Do not carry a lot of cash. When removing money from an ATM, check the surroundings in a well-lit space.

Do not count money or flash money where other people can see it. Stash your valuables in your front pockets and purses in the front of your body.

4- Don’t Wear Jewellery

Avoid standing out in a crowd by wearing expensive clothes or carrying designer purses.

Do not wear flashy, expensive-looking jewellery and try to blend in by wearing clothing that looks similar to the types of clothing others are wearing.

5- Watch Your Drinks

Do not let your drink out of sight and avoid getting drunk in a strange city where the rules and customs may be unfamiliar.

Appearing drunk also makes you an easy target.

6- Learn A Few Spanish Words

Visiting Mexico City does not require you to speak fluent Spanish, but understanding some basic phrases can be helpful and make you appear to be less vulnerable.

7- Stay Away From Danger

Stay away from unfamiliar parts of the city as some places in Mexico City are dangerous, and even driving through the area could be dicey.

Understanding where those places are in advance can help in avoiding those places.

20 Things To Do In Mexico City At Night

1- See A Ballet Folklorico Performance

Ballet Folklorico is a performance that showcases the Mexican folklore traditions of dance and music.

This ballet is a living museum that keeps the cultural traditions of Mexico alive.

The creator of this ballet, Amalia Hernandez, travelled with the ballet internationally in the 1900s, performing and winning many awards worldwide.

Now, the Ballet Folklorico is performed at Bellas Artes every week, once on Wednesdays and twice on Sundays.

The ballet also performs a special Christmas show each year during the season at Chapultepec Castle.

Ballet Folklorico is at C. Violeta 31, Guerrero, Cuauhtémoc, 06300 Ciudad de México.

2- Lucha Libre

Lucha Libre is the iconic Mexican wrestling sport well-known for its wrestlers dressed in flamboyant costumes with masks pulled right over their heads.

This wrestling style is an ‘intangible cultural heritage of Mexico City’, and the sport is almost as popular as soccer.

Visitors to Mexico City can watch Lucha Libre live at the Arena Mexico and the Arena Coliseo.

Neither arena is in the safest parts of the city, so be sure to have transportation ready to go when leaving the stadium, as you don’t want to be standing outside in the dark for long.

Arena Mexico is at Dr. Lavista 189, Doctores, Cuauhtémoc, 06720 Ciudad de México. Book your tickets to a show here.

3- Drink Cocktails In A Rooftop Bar

The Mexico City skyline at night is breathtaking and many bars take advantage of the view by being located on the city’s rooftops.

There is probably a rooftop bar with a beautiful view of the city nearby, no matter where you are.

In the Zocalo area alone, there are many cool rooftop bars, such as Terraza Catedral, which overlooks the main square and cathedral.

Enjoy cocktails and food at El Mayor while gazing at a beautiful view of the Templo Mayor ruins, the cathedral and the municipal palace.

Terraza Cha Cha Cha overlooks Bellas Artes and Reforma; these are just a few of the many rooftop bars in the city.

4- Delve Into Archaeology At Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan is one of Mexico’s most visited archaeological sites, receiving more than three million people each year.

While this site is popular during the day, Teotihuacan also has a spectacular 90-minute light show projected on the Pyramid of the Sun and the Square of the Moon after dark.

Music, narration and animation accompany the display and tells the story of the people who built and lived in this great city.

Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this program has been suspended. However, once all protocols are lifted, this program will resume.

5- Visit The Witch Market In Mercado de Sonora

Mercado Sonora is a well-known market on the outskirts of the Centro Historico area of Mexico City.

The market sells interesting items, like crafts, artwork, pottery, and live animals, some of which are illegal, resulting in frequent raids.

The most well-known section of this market is the witch market, where herbal potions and medicines, magical and occult items, are sold.

Many items related to Santa Muerte and other deities are purchased here.

This is a unique place to wander after dark and see spooky things you won’t find anywhere else in Mexico.

6- Discover Museums

Mexico City contains a plethora of museums visited by millions of people from all over the world.

The National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Anahuacalli Museum are popular museums.

A Night at the Museums event is held from 6 to 10 pm on the last Wednesday of each month.

About 45 of the city’s museums, including those listed above, are open to the public for tours, concerts, film screenings and workshops.

7- Learn To Salsa

Mexico City has several places where you can learn and practice salsa.

Two places to visit are Mama Rumba and the Salon de Bailes Los Angeles, which have been around for decades, offering dance lessons in the evenings.

Parque Mexico in Condesa on Sundays and La Ciudadela square on Saturdays become dancing hotspots during the day where you can learn to salsa.

In the evenings, Pata Negra and Rincon Cubano provide the perfect places to practice those salsa skills while drinking mojitos and experiencing Mexico’s culture.

8- Listen To Traditional Mexican Bands 

Mariachi is a part of Mexican culture; the bands perform traditional Mexican ballads, and everyone in Mexico seems to know the words to sing along.

Mariachi bands typically include singers, guitars, trumpets, guitarrons, and violins.

The band can have as few as three players, but the average size is six to nine people.

In Mexico City, the square at Plaza Garibaldi fills with mariachi daily, and they hang out there, waiting to be hired for events.

At night, the area fills with mariachi music, and visitors come to drink tequila in the surrounding bars, listen to the music, dance, and sing until the early hours of the morning.

Taking an Uber or taxi when leaving the area is safer than walking. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, we recommend joining an organised tour.

9- Enjoy The View From Torre Latinoamericana

Torre Latinoamericana is the iconic skyscraper in downtown Mexico City with the city’s best view.

The 44th floor has a public platform with a 360-degree view of Mexico City.

Skip the lines and pre-purchase a ticket and visit until 9 pm during the week or 10 pm on weekends.

One floor below the public overlook is the Miralto Restaurant, which offers an amazing 360-degree view of the Mexico City skyline.

At sunset and night, the skyline twinkles with millions of lights.

Diners can soak in this spectacular panorama while eating a gourmet dinner or drinking at their Skybar.

10- Attend A Concert Or Opera At Bellas Artes

Bellas Artes is well-known for hosting three performances of Ballet Folklorico each week.

In addition, this beautiful building houses murals from some of the most famous artists in Mexican history, including Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.

There are regular lectures, operas, concerts and orchestral performances.

This fine arts institution showcases the many writers, artists and musicians contributing to Mexico’s cultural heritage.

11- Visit The Museum Of Tequila And Mezcal

The Museum of Tequila and Mezcal, MUTEM, is in Plaza Garibaldi where the mariachis hang out day and night.

At this unique museum, visitors receive a shot of both tequila and mezcal with their entry ticket.

Most visitors come to this museum in the evenings because it stays open until 10 pm, while the restaurant and cantina above the museum remain open until 2.30 am.

After exploring the museum, guests can spend the evening listening to mariachi performing while eating Mexican food and drinking tequila and mezcal. Check out this tacos and mezcal night food tour.

12- Dance The Night Away At Patrick Miller

Patrick Miller is a legendary nightclub in Mexico City that has been around for decades, drawing party-goers from all walks of life.

Those who love to dance have been attending Patrick Miller for many years and enjoying the old-school dance-offs.

Different nights offer different decades of music; some nights, there is a line to get into the building, but the wait is worth the experience.

Comfortable clothes are the usual attire, and only beer and water are served at the club.

13- Taco Night Food Tour

Mexico City has some of the world’s best tacos and many taco tours are available throughout this sprawling city.

The tacos in Mexico City are incredible, unlike in other parts of the country.

Different parts of Mexico City offer tacos with various meats and spices.

The variety of tacos in Mexico City is matched only by the variety of people that make them.

One popular taco tour committed to responsible and ethical tourism is the ‘Eat Like a Local’ food tour that hires women and supports female-owned businesses in the city.

They offer a fantastic street food tour throughout several Mexico City neighbourhoods.

14- Watch A Soccer Game

Mexico’s favourite sport is soccer and in Mexico City, there are three popular soccer teams – Cruz Azul, Club America and the Pumas (the team from UNAM).

Cruz Azul and Club America share the same stadium; when one team is home, the other is away.

As a result, visitors will likely be able to watch one of the teams playing at the national stadium called Estadio Azteca.

The Pumas always play their home games at noon on Sundays at the Olympic Stadium.

The season runs from September to December and January through May, excluding holidays.

Buy tickets at the gate or on Ticketmaster. Both stadiums are on the city’s south side.

15- Take A Night Tour On The Turibus

The Turibus is an inexpensive mode of transportation for visitors to explore Mexico City.

This bus offers a tour of Mexico City’s downtown area around the Zocalo, the historic district, along Reforma, and through Condesa, Roma and the Zona Rosa neighbourhoods.

The night Turibus is available from 9 pm to 1 am and the bus takes a circuitous route that lasts approximately one hour.

On this tour, you’ll learn about the various places as they drive past.

It’s a fantastic option for visitors that want to see the city’s lights but are unsure about walking around after dark.

16- Bike Tour At Night

Mexico City’s streets were designed with bike lanes on many major roads, so the city has become popular for cyclists.

Several organised bike tours are available for visitors who wish to explore and see more of the downtown area after dark when the traffic is less hectic.
If you’re not interested in an organised tour, Mexico City has 480 ECOBICI bike stations with rental bikes ready to be checked out.

These bikes are available from 5 am to 12.30 am for unlimited 45-minute trips within any time frame.

17- Go To A Rock Concert

As a large megalopolis, Mexico City naturally attracts big-name musicians and rock stars who perform in one of several of the city’s large auditoriums or outdoor arenas.

The Foro Sol is one of the most popular arenas for American and European pop stars and rock musicians to play.

Name a famous pop star or rock musician and they have likely performed at Foro Sol.

These concerts can be fun, and the venue has excellent acoustics and good bathrooms, but prices can be high.

18- Explore Lanchacinema In Chapultepec Forest Lake

Chapultepec Forest Lake hosts a movie starting at 8 pm on the first Saturday of the month. 

You can borrow a paddle boat and paddle to the middle of the lake in front of the movie screen.

Before each event, the public votes on the movie they want to watch.

This event is free for all ages, so arrive early as space is limited and bring your own food and drinks.

19- Have Dinner In Chapultepec Forest

Chapultepec Forest hosts a romantic night picnic in the Botanical Gardens once a month on the second Saturday from 8 to 11 pm.

Bring reusable containers and no single-use plastics to this environmentally-friendly event.

The only alcohol permitted is no more than 375 mL of wine and event organisers sell picnic baskets for two, including a blanket, wine, LED candles, bread, fruit and chocolate.

20- Drink At A Speakeasy Bar

A speakeasy is a hidden gem of a bar that only allows patrons entry if they have made a reservation in advance.

They are hard to find and involve searching for doors hidden in unlikely places.

This fun concept has created some neat bars that serve the best cocktails in the city.

Highly-rated speakeasies include the Handshake Speakeasy, Xaman Bar, Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar, Parker & Lenox and Casa Franca.

Many offer live jazz, stellar cocktails and good food.

Most of the best speakeasy bars are around Reforma in Juarez and Roma.

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