Celebrating the Cervantino: After 29 years, the festival still boasts international talent and an array of performances for art lovers. (Living in Mexico).

Every October for the past three decades, the winding cobblestone streets of colonial Guanajuato invariably become packed. Amazed artists from all over the world are seen walking up and down narrow streets, underground passages and alleyways during their free time between shows. Yuppy teens from central Mexico take a break to flock to the city on the weekend, and enjoy all the partying they can afford.

The International Cervantino Festival (FIC) is a time for celebrating art in one of Mexico's most cherished urban architectural gems--a world heritage site since 1988, with a current population of some 100,000.

The FIC, to be inaugurated Oct. 10, was first created to celebrate Miguel de Cervantes Sanvedra (one of the most celebrated writers of all times in the Spanish language), and has now become one of the country's top cultural experiences.

In recoguition of the change in administration after a seven-decade rule by a single party, authorities decided to give the event a special touch, tagging this 29th edition "A festival for the new times."

This year, the number of events has been doubled, the budget increased by more than 30% and the number of street performances has also grown. The festival's new director, Ramiro Osorio, is a long-time Cervantino lover and former puppeteer who used to perform on Guanajuato streets while studying literature at the city's university. Osorio has promised to take the Cervantino back to its origins by increasing the number of street shows, offering many of them for free.

Judging by this year's program, the 2001 FIC promises to be quite remarkable. More than 2,500 artists from 44 nations will be taking part in 312 events over 18 days of nonstop art. Organizers say they are expecting attendance to reach 500,000. Australia and the state of Veracruz are this year's special features, in an aim to provide the public with the opportunity to learn about the cultures of both places.

Although organizers point out that theater presentations probably attract the most immediate attention, as a visitor it's tough to decide what to see first with so much music and dance to choose from.

Two relevant Australian artists are coming as special guests: Don Burrows, a 72-year-old jazz legend on flute, clarinet and sax, and classic pianist Roger Woodward, who knows Chopin's works by memory.

Other top attractions are the Lithuanian National Drama Theater, the Sidney Dance Company, Slovenia's Theater Mladinsko and the Swiss-Canada-Mexico joint-production "Visitatio" by Sunil Theater and Carbone 14.

When in Guanajuato during any time of the year, it is indispensable to visit the Teatro Juarez--a 19th-century architectural masterpiece and one of the FIC's main venues. Equally interesting is the Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera, a former hacienda gorgeously adorned with pristine gardens, where chamber music performances are the closest to heaven one can get.

Another must is getting lost while walking through Guanajuato's labyrinth-like narrow streets, and finding spontaneous performances amid a surreal atmosphere of art, culture and celebration.

Check out the festival's full schedule at www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx.

Jose Fernandez Ramos, a Mexico City-based freelance journalist, has followed the Festival Cervantino since the late 1980s.