# 41 Spotlight on the Madhouse: the Locos Parade
On the Day of the Crazies, a joyous celebration in San Miguel de Allende—a photo essay
Fireworks wake me up at 6 in the morning. This happens to me regularly in San Miguel de Allende, because Mexicans honor their saints with plenty of sunrise bangs.
Often, I have no idea who they’re celebrating, but this morning is different. I’m ready for the Locos Parade, also known as the Day of the Crazies, the finale to a week of festivities for San Antonio de Padua.
History of the Locos Parade
The locos parade is a mixture of Christian and pagan traditions and dates back to the 18th century. Originally, it honored San Pascual Bailón, the patron saint of orchard, field, and kitchen workers. In gratitude of the harvest, workers danced in groups to the music of traditional drums and pipes.
Some people decorated themselves with tools and symbols of their trade. Others dressed up as scarecrows and wore grotesque masks: They were responsible for keeping participants and onlookers apart.
The masks also offered anonymity and opened the celebration to satire: During the Locos Parade workers could mock their superiors and leaders without risking punishment.
Over time, other costumes became fashionable, especially those of clowns and harlequins. There were plenty of cross-dressing dancers, too, and people with huge papier maché masks. Brass bands replaced the traditional instruments playing popular tunes.
Because their dance moves were as wild as their costumes, the participants were called “locos” (crazies).
My Locos Parade
Nowadays, the Locos Parade is an endless candy-throwing procession of dancing people of all ages in extravagant home-made or store-bought costumes. A mix of contemporary music blares from speakers mounted on pickup trucks.
I head out in the rain at 10 a.m. and arrive late on the scene. All the sidewalks in the old center are occupied by onlookers waiting for the parade to kick off. Entire families gather together, some on camping chairs. People hand out of windows and congregate on accessible rooftop.
When I finally find an empty spot in front of a hotel, I fold my umbrella and stand there along with thousands of others. The rain eases into a drizzle, then stops just as the parade begins.
I spy pirates, sharks, geishas, Disney figures, witches, harems, unicorns, elves, and so much more. There’s even room for politics in the form of satirized representations of public figures such as Trump.
How many groups are dancing? How many people twirl in circles on the street? I cannot tell you. It’s impressive, that’s for sure, but after two hours of deafening music, it’s time for me to escape the madhouse.
Your Locos Parade
At home, I select the best photos—a difficult task. How many can I send without problems. Is 14 reasonable? The application complains that I’m adding too many and my email will be cut short. So be it. If you want to read the entire thing, there will be a link at the bottom for you to click.
It’s your turn now: Enjoy the parade!
And finally, to give you an idea of the vibe and massiveness of this Locos Parade, I invite you to watch this video:
Do you want to attend the Day of the Crazies one day?
If June 13 doesn’t fall on a Sunday, the Locos Parade in San Miguel de Allende will be held on the Sunday following that date.
My writing about the Locos Parade is informed by The World of San Miguel de Allende by Robert de Gast.
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Related Essays
If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in reading:
Time to Say Goodbye
My publisher shipped me three advanced reader copies of Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion. They flew from the UK to Mexico and arrived yesterday—a pleasant surprise. I intend to gift one to the library here in San Miguel de Allende, find a reviewer for the second, and take the third with me to Peru, where the book will visit all the Inca ruins.
Let the summer begin!
All my best,
Claire
P.S. What would your preferred costume be?
You found a great spot to take pics of that parade. What fun! I'd fill out your survey but thevlink just takes me to your page. But I love reading stuff like this. About places people go, what they see and do there.
Enjoy Perú. We were just there for 6 months. We tried to see all the ruins (Inca and pre-Inca) but there is a lot. Also there are a lot of parades in Perú!
Great photos. What creativity in the community, from humorous to downright creepy.