The second edition of the Festival de Artes para las Infancias, known as FAPI 2026, will run May 14 through 17 across San José del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, and rural communities in northern Los Cabos. The Los Cabos children’s arts festival is free, open to all ages, and features theater, dance, music, workshops, and interactive art installations. Costa Rica is this year’s guest country, represented by the performing arts company Las Afueras.
Los Cabos ICA Built FAPI After Decade of Limited Children’s Programming
Los Cabos has long been defined by its resort economy, with cultural investment focused heavily on tourism marketing rather than community arts. The municipal Instituto de la Cultura y las Artes (ICA), the city’s cultural affairs agency, launched FAPI in 2025 as the first large-scale children’s arts festival in the municipality’s history. ICA director Tanya Covarrubias Martínez announced the 2026 edition at a press event held at Restaurante Misión in San José del Cabo.
The first FAPI drew families from across the municipality, but it was a modest debut. This second edition expands on the original by adding an international guest country and extending programming to northern communities outside the two main tourist corridors. Those northern communities, including Santiago, Miraflores, and La Ribera, have historically received little municipal cultural investment. Bringing festival events to those areas marks a deliberate effort by ICA to decentralize access to the arts.
Covarrubias Martínez said this year’s goal is to increase direct participation by children, not just attendance. Two signature spaces anchor the festival. The first is the “Mini Jardín del Arte” (Mini Art Garden), an interactive outdoor installation at Plaza Antonio Mijares in San José del Cabo. The second is “Infancias en Escena” (Childhoods on Stage), a children’s performance competition where young participants showcase their own creative work.
The Costa Rican company Las Afueras will be represented by artists Andrea Catania and Adriana Arriaga. Las Afueras is a contemporary performing arts collective that blends physical theater with visual storytelling, often performing in open public spaces rather than traditional venues. Their inclusion gives FAPI a Central American perspective that is rarely represented in Baja California Sur’s cultural calendar.
Local artists and cultural promoters from the Jardín del Arte project, a community arts initiative in Los Cabos, will also participate alongside national performers. ICA has not yet released the full schedule of events, venue locations, or workshop registration details. Those will be posted on ICA Los Cabos’ official social media pages and website in the days before the festival opens.
FAPI 2026 Opens May 14 at Plaza Antonio Mijares at 5 p.m.
The opening ceremony takes place Wednesday, May 14, at 5 p.m. at Plaza Antonio Mijares in San José del Cabo’s downtown historic district. The plaza sits at the center of the Art District, surrounded by galleries and restaurants. It is walkable from most downtown hotels and a short taxi ride from the Tourist Corridor.
All FAPI events are free. No tickets or advance registration have been announced for general attendance, though workshop spots may be limited. ICA has not confirmed whether any events will be held in English or with bilingual programming. Families who want to attend should monitor the ICA Los Cabos Facebook and Instagram pages for schedule updates, as those platforms have served as the primary communication channel for municipal cultural events.
May is shoulder season in Los Cabos, with daytime temperatures averaging 30°C (86°F) and hotel rates significantly lower than winter peak. The festival falls just before the start of hurricane season and after most spring break crowds have departed. For families already in the area, FAPI offers structured daytime activities during a stretch when many kid-focused resort programs scale back.
The festival also coincides with a broader push by the Los Cabos municipal government to build year-round cultural programming. ICA has expanded its events calendar over the past two years, adding gallery nights, public concerts, and community theater beyond the traditional November festivals. FAPI fits that pattern: a recurring event designed to serve residents, not just seasonal visitors.
The full FAPI 2026 schedule, including specific venues in Cabo San Lucas and northern communities, is expected on ICA’s official platforms by early May. This article draws from the Los Cabos municipal government’s official announcement.