Rosarito tourism officials unveiled a summer events calendar stretching from May through August, anchored by this weekend’s ArtWalk Rosarito and a mid-July beer festival at Las Rocas Resort & Spa. The announcement came at a May 19 press conference in Ensenada, where organizers from the arts, restaurant, and hospitality sectors laid out a lineup designed to draw visitors south of the border during peak season.
ArtWalk Rosarito Marks 15 Years at CEART This Weekend
The most immediate date on the Rosarito summer events calendar is ArtWalk Rosarito, running May 23 and 24 at CEART Playas de Rosarito from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Entry is free. Now in its 15th edition, ArtWalk has grown from a small gallery walk into one of the northern Baja coast’s signature cultural gatherings, featuring painters, sculptors, artisans, and live cultural programming.
Benito del Águila, ArtWalk’s director, attended the press conference alongside Ensenada visual artist Sharina Fong to promote the weekend. The event started in 2011 as an effort to showcase Rosarito’s artistic community beyond the city’s reputation for beach bars and lobster. Over the years, ArtWalk has drawn artists from across Baja California and visiting buyers from San Diego, Los Angeles, and beyond.
CEART, the Centro Estatal de las Artes, sits on Boulevard Benito Juárez in central Rosarito. Parking near the venue can be tight during events, so arriving early is worth the effort. The walk from most nearby street parking is short, and vendors and food stalls typically line the surrounding blocks.
IMAC Rosarito Pushes to Register Local Artists
Marina Isabel Peredo, representing Rosarito’s cultural sector, used the press conference to announce a broader push by IMAC Playas de Rosarito and the Secretaría de Cultura to register local artists. IMAC, the Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura, coordinates public cultural programming in the municipality. The registration drive aims to build a directory of painters, photographers, sculptors, and performers who can be tapped for workshops, exhibitions, and festivals throughout the year.
That effort reflects a shift that has been building for over a decade. Rosarito’s tourism brand was long defined by Papas & Beer, the old Fox Studios Baja lot, and Puerto Nuevo lobster houses. But a growing circuit of galleries, studio spaces, and cultural events has expanded what the city offers. ArtWalk’s 15-year run is the most visible example, yet smaller monthly gallery nights and artist cooperatives along Boulevard Benito Juárez have also multiplied since roughly 2018.
The IMAC registration is open to artists across disciplines. Peredo encouraged creators to contact IMAC Playas de Rosarito directly to be included in future programming.
Beer Fest Set for July 18 at Las Rocas Resort
Rosarito Beer Fest will take place Saturday, July 18, at Las Rocas Resort & Spa, the oceanfront hotel on the free road (carretera libre) between Rosarito and Ensenada. Tickets cost 500 pesos (roughly $25 USD at current exchange rates) and include access to one of the hotel’s pools.
Luis Reyes, the festival’s director, announced at the press conference that tastings will be organized by municipality, giving brewers from Tijuana, Ensenada, Tecate, and Rosarito each their own section. Baja California now hosts more than 200 craft breweries statewide, with concentrations in Tijuana’s Zona Centro and Ensenada’s Calle Novena corridor. The Beer Fest format gives smaller Rosarito and Tecate producers visibility alongside their larger neighbors.
Las Rocas sits about 10 minutes south of central Rosarito on the scenic coastal road. The venue offers ocean views from the pool deck, which doubles as the festival grounds. Attendees driving from the San Ysidro border crossing should budget about 40 minutes in light traffic, or over an hour on a busy summer Saturday.
CANIRAC Rosarito Plans Culinary Events Still to Be Announced
CANIRAC Rosarito, the local chapter of Mexico’s national restaurant industry chamber, also participated in the press conference. Mónica Ramírez, CANIRAC Rosarito’s director, attended on behalf of chapter president Octavio Machado. She confirmed that restaurant and culinary events are being planned as part of the summer calendar, though specific dates and formats were not yet released.
Rosarito’s restaurant scene has grown well beyond Puerto Nuevo’s famous langosta. Seafood remains central, but taquerias, mariscos spots, and a handful of chef-driven restaurants now cluster along Boulevard Benito Juárez and the Quinta del Mar area. A CANIRAC-organized culinary event could follow the format of Ensenada’s popular Fiestas de la Vendimia dining series, though details remain pending.
The full press conference was moderated by Saúl Eduardo Álvarez Rojas, general director of COTUCO Rosarito, the city’s tourism coordination office. Proturismo Ensenada co-organized the event, a sign that northern Baja’s two main coastal cities are coordinating summer promotion rather than competing for the same visitors.
ArtWalk Rosarito opens this Friday, May 23, at CEART Playas de Rosarito with free admission both days. The next confirmed date is Rosarito Beer Fest on July 18 at Las Rocas Resort, with tickets at 500 pesos ($25 USD). CANIRAC Rosarito is expected to announce additional culinary events in the coming weeks. This story was first reported by Gringo Gazette North.