Culture, community, and continuity
A starting point for learning and connection
Each card separates verified organization history, festival history, current status, official links, and independent sources.
Across the United States, Oaxacan communities sustain cultural heritage through Guelaguetzas, dance, music, Indigenous languages, food, art, advocacy, education, and community service.
Every local community has its own history, programs, and approach to sharing Oaxaca's living cultures. Oaxaca en Utah created this educational directory as a starting point for discovering their work and learning directly from the sources each community makes available.
Explore 19 sourced listings, from community organizations to Guelaguetza celebrations. This is a growing directory, and many more Oaxacan communities have stories to share.
Dates and event plans can change. Visit the linked official source before making travel or participation plans.
Verified starting directory
Explore by region, state, city, or cultural focus
Search all 19 listings or use the filters. Each card distinguishes announced dates, past events, and ongoing community programs.
19 verified listings shown
West
13Fresno, California
Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO)
Verified through official organization sourcesAn Indigenous-led organization supporting self-determination through economic, language, education, health, immigration, and worker-justice initiatives for Indigenous communities in rural California.
- Organization founded
- 1993
- First known festival
- 1999
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Fresno
- Current or recurring status
- Recurring and confirmed through September 28, 2025, when CBDIO presented the 25th celebration at Fresno City College. No 2026 date was verified by July 15.
Los Angeles, California
CIELO · Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo
Organization’s history and program pagesFounded by Zapotec women Odilia Romero and Janet Martinez, CIELO supports Indigenous migrant communities through language access, cultural programs, and community resources.
- Organization founded
- 2016, according to CIELO
- Featured festival or program
- Indigenous language revitalization and cultural programs
- Current or recurring status
- The organization’s website describes ongoing language and cultural work in Los Angeles. CIELO serves multiple Indigenous communities; this is an organization listing, not a dated Guelaguetza announcement.
Sources and official links
Los Angeles, California
Organización Regional de Oaxaca (ORO)
Verified through established news coverageA community-supported organization that preserves Indigenous Oaxacan culture through affiliated community groups, dance ensembles, music, cultural activities, and Festival Guelaguetza ORO.
- Organization founded
- 1987
- First known festival
- 1987
- Featured festival or program
- Festival Guelaguetza ORO
- Current or recurring status
- Historically recurring. Organizers canceled the 2025 Guelaguetza and Convite because of community-safety concerns related to immigration-enforcement activity. No verified 2026 announcement was located.
Oxnard, California
Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)
Verified through official organization sourcesAn organization founded in Oxnard that supports, organizes, and empowers Indigenous migrant communities across California's Central Coast through advocacy, services, cultural programming, and community leadership.
- Organization founded
- 2001
- First known festival
- September 2007 (organizer-reported)
- Featured festival or program
- Oxnard Guelaguetza Festival
- Current or recurring status
- MICOP is active. The latest government-confirmed Oxnard Guelaguetza was June 23, 2024, at Plaza Park; its 2026 calendar does not currently list a Guelaguetza date.
Salinas, California
Guelaguetza Salinas · Organización Valles Centrales
Chamber of commerce and local reportingOrganización Valles Centrales brings Oaxacan dance, music, food, and cultural traditions together through Guelaguetza Salinas.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Salinas
- Current or recurring status
- Past listed event: August 16, 2026, at Natividad Creek Park. The local chamber’s program and contemporary reporting document the announced date. A later festival date was not verified.
San José, California
Guelaguetza San José
Festival’s own website; dated archiveGuelaguetza San José shares Indigenous Oaxacan culture through dance, music, food, and an artisan market at History Park.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza at History Park
- Current or recurring status
- The festival website still advertises October 20, 2024, at History Park, 1650 Senter Road. This is a past listing; a 2026 edition was not verified.
Sources and official links
San Marcos, California
Coalition of Indigenous Communities of Oaxaca (COCIO)
Historical listing—current activity not confirmedAn intergenerational Oaxacan community coalition whose documented public work centers on preserving and sharing Oaxacan culture through Guelaguetza Festival San Diego.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Festival San Diego
- Current or recurring status
- The latest firmly verified edition took place October 20, 2024, at Palomar College. The official site still displays 2024 details; no 2025 or 2026 event was verified.
Santa Cruz, California
Senderos
Verified through official organization sourcesA Latino community organization offering free cultural arts and educational programs, including Centeotl Danza y Baile, Ensamble Musical, academic support, scholarships, Indigenous-language work, and community celebrations.
- Organization founded
- 2001
- First known festival
- 2005
- Featured festival or program
- Vive Oaxaca Guelaguetza
- Current or recurring status
- Active recurring event. UC Santa Cruz confirmed the 21st annual festival on April 26, 2026, at Branciforte Small Schools Campus.
Sonoma County, California
Oaxaca Tierra del Sol
Verified through an official government or venue listingA grassroots nonprofit preserving and sharing Oaxacan culture through dance, music, foodways, weaving, and its annual Guelaguetza in Sonoma County.
- Organization founded
- 2013 in Santa Rosa
- First known festival
- 2012 (inferred from contemporaneous reporting)
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Sonoma County
- Current or recurring status
- Past listed event: the 2026 festival was scheduled for July 19, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., at the Foley Family Community Pavilion in Healdsburg.
Westminster, Colorado
Guelaguetza en Colorado
City of Westminster event calendarA Denver metro area celebration in Westminster, sharing Oaxacan music, a calenda, folkloric dance, and a main Guelaguetza program at Westminster City Park.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza en Colorado 2026
- Current or recurring status
- Past listed event: August 1, 2026. Westminster’s city calendar announced 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. at City Park, 10455 Sheridan Blvd, with the main Guelaguetza at 5:00 p.m. A later festival date was not verified.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Guelaguetza en Oregon · TierrAgua
Government event listing and public-media reportingTierrAgua (Ñu’un Nducha) brings Indigenous Oaxacan traditions to Hillsboro through dance, music, textiles, food, and community gathering.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza en Oregon at Shute Park
- Current or recurring status
- Past event: August 9, 2025, at Shute Park. Oregon’s Department of Education published the listing, and OPB reported on the celebration. A 2026 festival date was not verified in this review.
Salem, Oregon
ENLACE · Guelaguetza Latino Traditional Dance Program
Organizer’s program and event calendarENLACE’s dance program connects Salem youth and families with Latino traditions, including Oaxacan Guelaguetza and calenda presentations.
- Featured festival or program
- Honrando Nuestras Raíces / Honoring Our Roots · Mini-Guelaguetza
- Current or recurring status
- Upcoming as of September 16: September 19, 2026, 6:30–8:00 p.m., at Chemeketa EOLA in West Salem, 215 Doaks Ferry Road NW. ENLACE lists a Mini-Guelaguetza presented by its dance program.
Seattle, Washington
Guelaguetza de Seattle
Museum program and artist biographySeattle’s Oaxacan cultural life includes Guelaguetza celebrations and the work of Zapotec artist Fulgencio Lazo. Seattle Art Museum identifies him as a contributor to the city’s annual Guelaguetza.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza and Oaxacan arts in Seattle
- Current or recurring status
- A 2026 Guelaguetza date was not verified. A separate upcoming museum program features Lazo on October 29, 2026, with printmaking and an artist talk; it is not a Guelaguetza festival.
Sources and official links
No listings in this region match the current filters.
Southwest
2Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix Oaxacan Community / Desert Botanical Garden
Historical listing—current activity not confirmedPhoenix-area Oaxacan community organizers partnered with Desert Botanical Garden to present Guelaguetza through music, dance, food, artisans, and traditions representing Oaxaca's regions.
- First known festival
- Phoenix-area editions in 2018 and 2019; first Garden edition in 2022
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza at Desert Botanical Garden
- Current or recurring status
- Official Garden editions are verified for 2022, 2023, and 2024. The latest confirmed event was October 5–6, 2024; no official 2025 or 2026 listing was located.
Austin, Texas
Ballet Folklórico de Austin
Organization, event page, and city programFounded in 2014, Ballet Folklórico de Austin teaches and performs Mexican folk dance, with Guelaguetza presentations that share Oaxaca’s regional traditions.
- Organization founded
- 2014, according to the organization
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Oaxaqueña at the Long Center
- Current or recurring status
- Past festival listing: November 2, 2025, at the Long Center. Austin’s 2026 Viva México program also lists the ballet. A 2026 Austin Guelaguetza date was not verified.
No listings in this region match the current filters.
Midwest
1Chicago, Illinois
Guelaguetza Oaxaqueña en Chicago
Presenting museum’s event archiveThe National Museum of Mexican Art and Field Museum presented Oaxacan dance in Chicago with Ballet Folklórico de Austin.
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza Oaxaqueña en Chicago · museum presentation
- Current or recurring status
- Historical event: September 13, 2024, at the Field Museum. This entry documents that presentation; a recurring Chicago festival or a 2026 edition was not verified.
Sources and official links
No listings in this region match the current filters.
Northeast
3New Brunswick, New Jersey
Lazos América Unida
Verified through official organization sourcesA nonprofit strengthening Mexican, Indigenous, and immigrant communities through culture, advocacy, grassroots leadership, health and language-access training, and workers' rights. Founder and executive director Teresa Vivar is from Oaxaca.
- Organization founded
- 2003; registered as a nonprofit in 2005
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza in New Brunswick
- Current or recurring status
- The organization is active. City records verify Guelaguetza editions in 2022, 2023, and 2024. A dated 2025 or 2026 edition was not located.
Poughkeepsie, New York
La Guelaguetza de Poughkeepsie
Verified through an official government or venue listingA community festival created by Oaxacan immigrants and sustained through Grupo Folclórico de Poughkeepsie, local institutions, media organizations, healthcare partners, and volunteers.
- First known festival
- 2008
- Featured festival or program
- La Guelaguetza de Poughkeepsie
- Current or recurring status
- Past listed annual festival: the 2026 edition was scheduled for Sunday, August 2, from noon to 7:00 p.m. at Victor C. Waryas Park. Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center is the fiscal sponsor.
Sources and official links
- Official 2026 regional event listing (opens in a new tab) (Original source currently unavailable)
- 2026 fiscal-sponsor listing (opens in a new tab)
- Official festival Facebook (opens in a new tab)
- Recent Poughkeepsie community post (opens in a new tab)
- Hudson Valley Press profile (opens in a new tab)
- Bard College / La Voz history (opens in a new tab)
Queens, New York City, New York
Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York (BFMNY)
Verified through official organization sourcesA volunteer-led 501(c)(3) organization that promotes Mexican culture and traditions through regional folklórico dance and community performances.
- Organization founded
- 1983
- First known festival
- 2013
- Featured festival or program
- Guelaguetza New York City
- Current or recurring status
- Past listed event: the 14th annual edition was scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2026, from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City.
No listings in this region match the current filters.
South
0No verified listings have been added for this region yet.
Independent communities and festivals
The organizations, community initiatives, and festivals in this directory operate independently. Inclusion does not represent a formal partnership, endorsement, certification, or affiliation with Oaxaca en Utah.
Information was gathered from official websites, public announcements, government or venue listings, and reputable news sources. Programs, dates, locations, and contact details may change, so please confirm current information directly with the organizers before making plans.