By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-08-19 09:01:43 | Updated at 2026-08-19 09:59:40
1 hour ago
Mexico City · FESTIVALS
Key Facts
- The date Saturday 5 December 2026, from 13:00 to 01:00.
- The place Curva 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Iztacalco, Mexico City.
- The headliner Snoop Dogg, announced by the organiser on 17 August.
- The tickets 1,700 to 4,000 pesos, roughly US$100 to US$234.
- The seller Ticketmaster México only, on general sale since 18 August.
- The oddity The pharmacy mascot Dr Simi is billed as a performer.
A Mexican pharmacy chain built a festival around its dancing mascot. This year it has booked Snoop Dogg.
SimiFest 2026 lands at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Saturday 5 December. Snoop Dogg headlines, and tickets went on sale on Tuesday.
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What SimiFest is
SimiFest 2026 is a music festival owned by a pharmacy chain. That sentence is not a joke, and it needs a little explaining.
Farmacias Similares is a Mexican chain built on cheap generic medicines, with clinics attached to many branches. Its mascot is Dr Simi.
Dr Simi is a rotund figure in a white coat and moustache. He is usually seen as an oversized costumed dancer outside branches, waving people in.
The company turned that mascot into a festival in 2024. SimiFest 2026 is the third edition.
Why a pharmacy mascot became a pop icon
In November 2021, a fan threw a Dr Simi plush toy on stage to the singer Aurora at a Mexico City festival. She kept it.
Throwing customised Simi plushes at visiting artists then became a fixture of Mexican concerts. The toys are now collected and traded.
SimiFest is the company monetising that accident. Its founder-owner fronts the announcements personally.
For a foreign resident, this is one of the more revealing things about Mexican pop culture. An advertising gimmick became a genuine folk object.
The date, the place and the hours
SimiFest 2026 runs on Saturday 5 December 2026, from 13:00 to 01:00. That is a twelve-hour day.
The venue is Curva 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Formula One circuit in the Iztacalco borough. The same footprint was used last year.
One caution on the date. At least one Mexican outlet has printed Sunday 5 December, and 5 December 2026 is a Saturday.
Reports describe two stages and a target capacity of about 25,000. Neither figure has been confirmed by the organiser.
Who is playing
Snoop Dogg is the headliner, announced at a press conference on 17 August. It is billed as his Mexico City debut in this format.
Miguel is the co-headliner. The rest of the announced bill takes in María Barracuda, Descartes a Kant, Romoo, Los Eclipses and Los Blenders.
Dr Simi is also billed as a performer, working with Mexican musicians on original songs. That is not a mascot appearance but a set.
The organiser said five more headline names would follow over the next two to three weeks. Roughly twelve artists are expected in total.
What tickets cost
General admission is 1,700 pesos, Preferente is 2,500 and VIP is 4,000. At the official rate of 17.0638 pesos on 18 August, that is about US$100, US$147 and US$234.
Sales opened to the general public at 09:00 on Tuesday 18 August. All three tiers went on sale at once.
There is no phased pricing and no bank-exclusive presale, despite some outlets calling Tuesday a preventa. Cards from the festival’s banking sponsor carry an instalment promotion.
Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster México and nowhere else. Whether Similares branches will also sell them, as in past years, has not been answered.
How the prices compare
The 2025 edition ran roughly from 1,350 to 3,500 pesos. SimiFest 2026 is a real increase at every tier.
Against Mexico’s larger festivals, it still sits at the cheaper end. That is part of the pitch.
The first edition, in November 2024, was held at Parque Bicentenario with Anderson .Paak and Jungle. The move to the Autódromo came in 2025.
Growth of that kind in three years is unusual for a corporate-owned festival.
What we could not confirm
The festival’s own website still displayed the 2025 edition when we checked. Everything above rests on Mexican press reporting the 17 August press conference.
Snoop Dogg’s confirmation is one-sided. The organiser announced him, and nothing has appeared on the artist’s own channels.
That is normal for a first announcement four months out. It is still worth saying plainly.
Tame Impala has circulated as a rumour. No source confirms it, so treat it as noise until the next announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is SimiFest 2026?
Saturday 5 December 2026 at Curva 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, running from 13:00 to 01:00.
How much are tickets?
General admission is 1,700 pesos, Preferente 2,500 and VIP 4,000, or roughly US$100, US$147 and US$234. They are sold through Ticketmaster México only.
Who is on the bill?
Snoop Dogg headlines, with Miguel as co-headliner, plus María Barracuda, Descartes a Kant, Romoo, Los Eclipses, Los Blenders and Dr Simi. Five more names are promised.
What is Dr Simi?
The mascot of Farmacias Similares, a Mexican pharmacy chain. Plush versions became concert-throwing collectables after a 2021 incident, and the festival grew out of that.
Sources
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