Mexico City Formula 1 economic impact and Day of the Dead tourism, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City, Mexico): The government of Mexico City, led by Clara Brugada, reported on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that the Formula 1 race generated 21 billion pesos in economic activity, exceeding the Day of the Dead festivities during a ten-day period of mass attendance in the capital.
The city government estimated total economic activity of 36 billion pesos across the ten days when both events coincided. During a press conference, the mayor said more than 15 billion pesos of the total directly corresponded to tourism lodging, ofrendas, cultural offerings, gastronomy and general consumption across the city’s boroughs.
Official estimates indicated the auto race accounted for roughly 58% of the total economic activity reported for the period, overshadowing the projections that traditional commercial sectors had made individually for the November festivities. The city’s average hotel occupancy reached 92%, rising to 100% in exclusive areas such as Roma-Condesa and the airport.
In strictly tourism terms, the period between Friday, October 30, and Sunday, November 1, saw more than half a million tourists and visitors arrive in Mexico City. According to official figures presented by the city government, this represented a 22% increase in visitors compared with the previous year.
Hotel saturation in central and high-commercial-density corridors highlighted the pressure that the dual schedule of mass events placed on urban infrastructure.
The Mexico City Grand Prix drew an attendance of 405,000 people, ranking as the fourth-highest-attended event in the competition worldwide. The free exhibition by Mexican driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez on Paseo de la Reforma, which drew more than 100,000 attendees, added to these figures.
Combined, the local administration calculated cumulative attendance of approximately 8 million people across all sporting and cultural activities held during the ten-day special operation in Mexico City.
One million 600,000 people visited the monumental Catrina installed in the capital’s Zócalo over a four-day period. Daily foot traffic to the city center averaged 400,000 visitors, drawn to the ofrendas and alebrije exhibitions.
Before these celebrations, on October 26, the Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Mexico City (Canaco CDMX) had projected a conservative economic impact of 12.022 billion pesos for Day of the Dead, forecasting a 5% increase over 2025. However, the timing coincidence with the top-tier motorsport event altered commercial measurement parameters, making it difficult to precisely separate tourist spending tied to Day of the Dead traditions from spending by motorsport fans.
