Mexican Independence Day 2026 – Grito and Military Parade

On the night of September 15th, 2026, the annual Independence Day Grito ceremony was held in the Mexico City Zocalo plaza. (See Mexican Independence Day and the History Behind It).

Over 300,000 people were in the Zocalo:

Here is President Claudia Sheinbaum waving the flag at the Grito ceremony in the Zocalo:

A small part of the audience:

Fireworks at the Zocalo:

This view makes it appear that the Zocalo is on fire:

President Sheinbaum and her husband the First Gentleman watch the fireworks:

The next day, September 16th, was the Independence Day military parade in Mexico City.

Here’s a Mexican Military Dog doing his duty:

Mexican Army’s “Xolotl” Robot Dog:

The parade wasn’t only on the ground, the Mexican Air Force participated with 93 aircraft, the Mexican Navy with 8 and the National Guard with 6. Fifteen paratroopers (10 men, 5 women) parachuted from a helicopter 6,000 feet up, down into the Zocalo plaza.

Here are some of the aircraft:

Here’s a view of aircraft over downtown Mexico City, you can see the Torre Latinoamericano in the middle:

For a report of last year’s Grito in the Zocalo, click here.