The ninth annual Dibufestival del Papalote, a free kite festival aimed at families, took place at El Tule beach in Los Cabos this April. Organized by the civil association Dibujando Nuestro Sueño A.C., the Los Cabos kite festival combined kite-making workshops, puppet shows, live music, and environmental education booths along a stretch of Pacific-side shoreline between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Sol Delgado Moreno, honorary president of the DIF Los Cabos (the municipal family services agency), attended the event and toured each vendor and activity space. She praised the festival’s sustainability focus and its emphasis on children’s learning. Mariana Brera Mendoza, president of Dibujando Nuestro Sueño and the festival’s lead organizer, said the event has grown into a recognized gathering for family recreation along El Tule’s beachfront.
Nine Years of Kite Festivals on the Pacific Corridor
Dibujando Nuestro Sueño, whose name translates to “Drawing Our Dream,” launched the Dibufestival del Papalote in 2016. The association centers its mission on using art, creativity, and outdoor play to build community ties among Los Cabos families. Papalote is the Mexican Spanish word for kite, derived from the Nahuatl word papalotl, meaning butterfly. Kite festivals have a long tradition across Mexico, especially around Día de la Niñez (Children’s Day), which falls on April 30 each year.
This year’s edition also coincided with Good Deeds Day, an international day of community service observed in over 100 countries. By pairing the two occasions, organizers framed the festival as both a celebration and a civic exercise. Children and their families built kites from recycled and sustainable materials, reinforcing the event’s environmental message.
The festival has expanded its institutional footprint over the years. This edition drew participation from at least six municipal agencies under the administration of Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez. ZOFEMAT, the federal maritime zone coordination office that manages beach access and permits, had a booth on site. So did INDESO (the Los Cabos Institute for Sustainable Development), which handles environmental planning for the municipality. OOMSAPAS Los Cabos, the local water utility, ran a “water culture” educational station. The Municipal Directorate of Education and Environmental Promotion and the Institute of Culture and Arts of Los Cabos (ICA) also participated, alongside a small-business market organized by the city’s business outreach program.
That level of government involvement sets the Dibufestival apart from informal beach gatherings. It also suggests the event has become a fixture in the municipal calendar, with multiple departments now building programming around it.
El Tule Beach Sits on the Tourist Corridor Between the Two Capes
El Tule beach is located along the Pacific side of the Los Cabos tourist corridor, roughly 15 kilometers west of San José del Cabo’s downtown. The beach is accessible by car from the Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1). Parking is informal, typically along the dirt access road leading to the shore. The beach is not one of the swimmable spots on the Sea of Cortez side, but its wide, open sand makes it well suited for outdoor events and kite flying.
The festival is free to attend. Activities at this year’s edition included hands-on kite construction workshops where children built their own papalotes, puppet theater performances, and live music. Local artisans and small-business owners sold goods from booths along the beach. Brera Mendoza described the layout as a walkable series of stations stretching along the shoreline, with each area offering a different activity.
No formal bilingual programming was announced, but the event’s visual and hands-on nature, such as kite building, puppet shows, and art activities, does not require fluency in Spanish to enjoy. Families with children in local schools or community groups are the primary audience, though the open-access beach format means anyone can attend.
Dibujando Nuestro Sueño A.C. has not yet announced a date for the tenth edition, but the festival has run annually since 2016, each time near the end of April to coincide with Children’s Day. Given the expanding municipal participation this year, a 2026 edition at El Tule appears likely. The event was first reported by the Los Cabos municipal government’s official website.