Festival Internacional del Membrillo 2026: Culture, Flavor and a Guinness World Records Title in Jalisco

The town of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos celebrated one of its most important cultural events from July 31 to August 2, 2026: the 10th International Quince Festival, known locally as the Festival Internacional del Membrillo.

Located between Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, the municipality welcomed visitors, producers, artisans and international guests for three days dedicated to local gastronomy, music, dance and the fruit that gives the community its name.

This year’s festival was especially memorable because the community earned a Guinness World Records title by preparing the world’s largest quince paste. The finished product weighed 4,349 kilograms—more than four metric tons.

What Is the International Quince Festival?

The International Quince Festival is an annual cultural and gastronomic celebration held in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jalisco.

The festival was created to promote the municipality’s quince-growing tradition and recognize the families, farmers, cooks and artisans who transform this yellow fruit into a wide variety of regional products.

Visitors can discover quince paste, jams, preserves, breads, pastries, candies, liqueurs, ponche and other foods and beverages made with quince. The celebration also includes regional cuisine, handicrafts, cultural exhibitions and live entertainment.

Over time, the event has grown beyond a local food fair. It has become an international meeting point where communities from Mexico and other countries share their traditions, recipes and artistic expressions.

The 2026 event marked the festival’s tenth edition, and its official program included more than 70 free activities.

A Celebration of Quince and Local Traditions

Throughout the festival, the historic center of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos became a lively showcase of local culture.

Stands displayed baskets of fresh quince alongside traditional and innovative products. Visitors found jars of quince jam, blocks of ate de membrillo, baked goods, sweets, beverages and recipes demonstrating the fruit’s versatility.

The festival provided an important platform for local producers and family businesses. Many of the recipes presented during the event have been prepared and passed down through generations.

By buying directly from producers, visitors supported the local economy while learning about the work involved in cultivating, harvesting and preparing quince.

The event also featured artisans offering handmade jewelry, decorative items, textiles and regional products. Music, folkloric dance and stage performances created a family-friendly atmosphere throughout the weekend.

Ixtlahuacán Earns a Guinness World Records Title

The main attraction of the 2026 festival was the community’s attempt to prepare the world’s largest quince paste.

Local producers, traditional cooks, families and volunteers worked together to create an enormous batch of this traditional sweet while following the requirements established by Guinness World Records.

The finished quince paste weighed 4,349 kilograms, officially earning Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos a Guinness World Records title.

The achievement represented more than a world record. It demonstrated the community’s ability to organize around a shared tradition and brought international attention to a product closely connected to the municipality’s history and identity.

The project brought together producers, traditional cooks, families and community volunteers in a large collective effort. Organizers had expected hundreds of people to participate in the preparation and official verification process.

Once the record was confirmed, the achievement became one of the most significant moments in the festival’s history.

Greece as the Guest Country

The festival’s international character was strengthened by the participation of Greece as the guest country, with the city of Chania taking part as the guest city of honor.

Greece has its own culinary traditions involving quince, making its participation especially relevant. The cultural exchange allowed visitors to discover similarities and differences in how communities in Mexico and Europe prepare and celebrate this ancient fruit.

Representatives from Italy and Haiti had also been announced as part of the festival’s international program, reinforcing the event’s focus on food, heritage and cultural dialogue.

The participation of international delegations showed how a local agricultural product can connect communities separated by thousands of miles.

More Than a Food Festival

Although quince is at the heart of the celebration, the International Quince Festival offers much more than food.

The 2026 program included workshops, tastings, gastronomic exhibitions, concerts, dance performances and competitions. Festival contests covered categories such as:

• Traditional quince candy
• International cuisine
• Tasting menus
• Mixology
• Photography
• Baking
• Pastry-making
• The heaviest quince

These activities gave cooks, producers and creative participants an opportunity to present both traditional recipes and new ideas.

The combination of food, culture and entertainment attracted families and visitors from the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Lake Chapala and other parts of Jalisco.

For travelers staying in Ajijic or Chapala, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos is an accessible day-trip destination and offers an opportunity to experience a different side of the region.

Why Is Quince Important to Ixtlahuacán?

Quince is more than a seasonal fruit in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. It forms part of the municipality’s name, agricultural identity and culinary heritage.

The fruit is known for its firm texture, yellow color and distinctive aroma. Because raw quince can be hard and tart, it is commonly cooked with sugar to create preserves, jams and the firm paste known in Mexico as ate.

Local families have developed numerous ways to prepare it, including:

• Quince paste and candy
• Jams and preserves
• Breads, pastries and empanadas
• Ponche and fruit-based beverages
• Liqueurs and craft drinks
• Sauces and regional dishes

The annual festival helps preserve this knowledge while introducing quince products to new generations and visitors.

A Growing Cultural Attraction Near Lake Chapala

The International Quince Festival has become an important event for cultural tourism in Jalisco.

Its location makes it accessible to residents and visitors from Guadalajara, Ajijic, Chapala, Jocotepec and surrounding communities. It also contributes to the promotion of local gastronomy and small-scale agricultural production.

The 2026 edition demonstrated how a municipality can use its traditions to create a distinctive visitor experience. Instead of separating tourism from everyday community life, the festival places local producers, family recipes and cultural traditions at the center of the celebration.

For visitors, it offers an authentic opportunity to taste regional products, meet the people who make them and learn why quince remains so important to the community.

A Record-Breaking Tenth Edition

The tenth International Quince Festival combined gastronomy, art, music and international participation in a celebration rooted in local identity.

Its greatest achievement—the Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest quince paste—placed Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos on the international stage.

More importantly, the achievement recognized the work of the producers, cooks, families and volunteers who continue preserving the municipality’s quince tradition.

The festival showed how food can tell the story of a community, connect different cultures and create experiences that visitors remember long after the celebration ends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• El Occidental: Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos rompe récord Guinness
• UDG TV: Festival del Membrillo busca récord Guinness
• Visit Jalisco: Festival Internacional del Membrillo