The Mazatlán Cultural Festival, now more than a decade old, has expanded well beyond its humble beginnings. No longer limited to a few performances in and around the Angela Peralta Theater, troupes of dancers, singers and musicians have been heading out to the colonias of Mazatlán, to the outlying towns in the municipality, to a variety of venues ranging from neighborhood plazas to churches to the streets. In line with a strategy to grow the audience, this year some 16,000 schoolchildren have had their first experiences as audience members, attending opera and ballet performances in the Angela Peralta Theater. All of these events are being offered free of charge by the Municipal Institute for Culture, Tourism and the Arts (CULTURA) to people, young and old,  who have never had the pleasure of seeing a real show on a real stage before in their lives. Of course, the core performances of the festival remain those on the stage at the theater intended for the ticket-buying audience. Here is the calendar of events for the general public during the month of December, when the beginnings of Carnaval Mazatlán (Feb. 15-20) get mixed in with the final days of the Mazatlán Cultural Festival. For further information, there is an English-speaking person in the theater box office from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. (tel: 982-4446, ext.103) or you can check the website: www.culturamazatlan.com and click on the upper right hand corner for the English translations about the events and the artists. Now here is the month’s calendar: DECEMBER Friday & Saturday, Dec. 1 & 2: “Trouble in Tahiti,”  the

Leonard Bernstein opera 8:00pm both evenings, Angela Peralta Theater Admission: 100, 150, 220 pesos (or season ticket) Wednesday & Thursday, Dec. 6 & 7: “The Nutcracker” with 70 student dancers & guest dancers from the Cuban National School of Ballet 8:00pm, Angela Peralta Theater Admission: 80, 120 and 150 pesos Thursday, Dec. 7: String Orchestra of the Municipal Arts Center & Camerata Mazatlán in concert 8:00pm, Sagrada Familia Church Admission: free Friday, Dec. 8: Engravings of the Salon de la Plastica Mexicana Exhibition of engravings, lithography, serigraphy Inauguration: 8:00pm, Angela Peralta Gallery Admission: free Sunday, Dec. 10: String Orchestra of the Municipal Arts Center & Camerata Mazatlán in concert 8:00pm, Maria del Mar Church Admission: free Thursday & Friday, Dec. 14& 15: Gala Navideña with the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra, Culiacan Chorus & Angela Peralta Chorale 8:00pm both evenings, Angela Peralta Theater Admission: 180, 220 & 280 (or season ticket) Friday, Dec. 15: Carnaval Callejoneada, merrymakers form a procession from the Plazuela Machado into Old Mazatlán, to stir up enthusiasm for the February event 9:30pm Saturday, Dec. 16: “Fractal” (urban art show with changing lights, shadows) 9:00pm, Golden Zone Free event Tuesday, Dec. 19: Guadalupe Pineda, the celebrity singer in concert Boleros, tangos, traditional Mexican music 8:00pm, Angela Peralta Theater Admission: 150, 250 & 320 pesos (or season ticket) Friday, Dec. 29: First computation of the votes for Carnaval royalty, with revelry & entertainment 6:00pm Plazuela Machado