Sinaloa capital’s Independence Day celebrations set to return after 2 years

For the first time since 2023, the state of Sinaloa will stage Independence Day celebrations in Culiacán, its capital city, incuding the traditional public Grito. 

Interim Governor Yeraldine Bonilla this week announced that the  Grito will be celebrated in the Governor’s Palace Esplanade, declaring that preparations are already under way to resume the popular Sept. 15-16 festival and the massive celebrations that accompany it.

Interim Sinaloa Governor Yeraldine Bonilla’s announcement was succinct and to the point: “There will be Independence Day celebrations!” Then she turned it personal: “I hope to see you there.”   (Yeraldine Bonilla)

Culiacán’s “Grito” — an event that commemorates Father Miguel Hidalgo’s Sept. 16, 1810, call to arms which launched the initial insurrection of Mexico’s War for Independence — was canceled in 2024 and 2025 due to widespread cartel violence.

The cancellations were imposed because authorities were unable to contain a civil war that broke out within the Sinaloa Cartel in mid-2024. Local media reports indicate that there have been more than 3,700 violent deaths and nearly 4,300 people have been kidnapped and/or disappeared since the violence began.

State authorities preferred to prioritize public security, canceling the capital’s broader Independence Day festivities the past two years and opting for restricted civic ceremonies.

After telling reporters on Tuesday that “there will be an Independence Day celebration” next month, Bonilla said, “I hope to see you there,” encouraging Sinaloans “to get ready to celebrate” the Grito and to participate in the traditional patriotic revelry that accompanies it.

The governor said her administration is negotiating with several artists and entertainers, adding that the musical line-up will be announced in the coming weeks. Bonilla said organizers have been in contact with performers who were scheduled to appear at last year’s event, including El Coyote, Marisela and Miguel Bosé.

The Grito — or Cry for Independence — is celebrated in public squares across the country on the night of Sept 15, with a local official presiding over thronging crowds by ringing a bell and shouting out names of heroes, interspersed with cries of “¡Viva México!”

Sept. 16 typically features military and civic parades, street parties and cultural events. Sinaloa officials said they will release an official program for the Sept. 16 events in Culiacán by the end of the month.

By making the announcement, Bonilla confirmed that large civic events — including concerts and public celebrations — will gradually return to Culiacán’s public squares and plazas across the state.

With reports from Animal Político, Debate, Eje Central and Excelsior

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