Giant alebrijes parade on Oct. 17 runs from Zócalo to the Angel
Mexico City's folk art museum holds its 18th contest on Oct. 17, and the winning pieces stay on display along Paseo de la Reforma until Nov. 8.
The Museo de Arte Popular (MAP), Mexico City's folk art museum, will hold the 18th Giant Alebrije Parade and Contest on Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon, as part of the Night of the Alebrijes. Alebrijes are brightly painted fantastical creatures, a Mexican folk art tradition. The museum's call for entries puts the route at about two hours.
The parade starts in the Zócalo, the capital's main square, and follows 5 de Mayo, Eje Central, Juárez and Paseo de la Reforma to the roundabout around the Column of Independence, known as the Angel. Afterward the pieces stay on display on the sidewalks of Reforma, between the Column and the Estela de Luz, until 20:00 on Nov. 8.
Prizes and rules
The awards ceremony is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 18:00 at the museum. The MAP warns that the date may change. The first three places and 11 honorable mentions receive cash prizes, according to the call for entries.
Each piece must be at least 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall and 1.80 meters (5.9 feet) wide and long, and no taller than 3.60 meters (11.8 feet) once assembled. Teams move them by hand or with a manual traction system: motorized and electric vehicles and bicycles are not allowed, and nobody may ride on the platforms. Registration closed on Aug. 21.
Before the parade
As a preview, the museum held its Illuminated Alebrije Walk. It left the museum, on Revillagigedo Street, for the Alameda Central on Saturday, Oct. 10, and was due to repeat on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 19:00 to 21:00, according to El Universal.
The Oct. 17 route crosses busy avenues in the Cuauhtémoc borough. No road closures announced by the city's police or its mobility department were found, and the MAP does not say how many alebrijes will take part.
