Adventure and Fun Every Night of the Week in the Riviera Maya
Wondering what to do at night in Tulum in 2024? Whether you want to eat, dance, or even go on a wild amusement park adventure, there’s something perfect for you to do under the stars every night of the week. Let us be your local guide to fun after dark, way beyond the typical scene.
Monday: Eat and Groove in Style, Off the Beaten Influencer Track
Start the week with some corn-based foods and jazzy live music at Negro Huitlacoxe’s Monday Jam Sessions. If you want to try real Indigenous Mexican cuisine, this place is for you!
Everything on the rustic menu is well priced and delish, from roasted elotes to huazontle croquetas.
(A tip: if you want to try ancestral food remixed with world recipes instead, eat first at our ATTA Cenote Restaurant, then head out for the music!)
Where: Calle Andromeda near Ave. Satelite Sur, in Tulum
The Crowd: Friendly and creative
Be Sure to Try: Target-shaped tortillas with blue and yellow corn stripes, stuffed with authentic huitlacoche (a blue-corn fungus, considered a delicacy)
Locals’ Tip: Music starts around 9 pm.
Tuesday: Dance to Caribbean Beats & Thrill to Tulum’s Best Fire Show
Tuesdays, Tulum’s best spot is definitely Palma Central, the food truck park on Avenida Kukulkan. You can grab tasty snacks and dance salsa all night!
If you want some new moves, take a quick class first. After, there’s a live salsa band and some badass local dancers tearing up the dancefloor. (Don’t be intimidated though, the vibe is purely friendly).
Just when you think you’ve reached maximum fun, it gets even better: You’ll be treated to Tulum’s best fireshow, with acrobats spinning flaming wheels and sticks across the starry sky. Amazing 🔥
Where: Avenida Kukulkan near Av. Xcaret in Tulum
The Crowd: Total joy!
Be Sure to Try: A new move on the dance floor
Locals’ Tip: Come at 7 pm to catch a salsa class, then stay all night to party and watch the show.
Wednesday: Jazzy Hip Hop and Cocktails
Mercado Centauro is another food truck park—and home to some truly top-quality live music and dancing from around the planet, from Guinea to Eastern Europe and back.
Wednesdays, musicians come together to jam, so the beats are eclectic. (Think: rapping in French over bossa nova style guitar—trust us, it sounds great together!)
Where: Avenida Centauro Sur near Av. Sol Oriente in Tulum
The Crowd: Friendly artists and musicians, it’s easy to meet new people here
Be Sure to Try: New types of music! No matter what’s playing, it tends to be great
Locals’ Tip: From 5 pm to 2 am, you can play ping pong
Thursday: Fine Dining and Adventure Splurge Night
Tonight you’re going to go all out, so start with a fab meal at our ATTA Cenote Restaurant (reservation info here). You’ll be treated to food as art: luxury fusion cuisine made with the finest local ingredients.
Not to mention the gorgeous ambience! You’ll be sitting right next to the sparkling blue waters of Cenote Tuuch. It’s easily one of Tulum’s most beautiful cenotes, and the only one with a fine-dining restaurant.
Next up, thrillseekers can head to Xplor Fuego, the nighttime version of the Xplor adventure theme park. You’ll get to swim through caves, swoosh down a gigantic waterslide in a toboggan, paddle through an underground river, and streak across insanely tall ziplines.
All that, lit up with torches and lights—you’ll feel like you’ve landed in another world!
Where: ATTA Cenote Restaurant is inside the Shibari Hotel in Tulum
Xplor is on the highway between Tulum and Playa del Carmen
Be Sure to Try: The ziplines—all 7 of them!
Locals’ Tip: Xplor Fuego isn’t cheap (about $110), so plan to stay ‘til closing time. (Open 5:30 – 11 pm)
Friday: Learn to Cook Authentic Oaxacan Food
If you were inspired by your dinner at ATTA to learn about local cuisine, there’s no better place in Tulum than a deluxe cooking class at Lina’s Mexican Kitchen.
Lina and her family are masters at Oaxacan and Yucatecan food, and have prepared their menu and classes with total love and care.
You’ll choose from a variety of menus that include 4 courses: appetizer, salad, main dish, and dessert. (It’s all heavenly stuff like cactus salad, pork with red mole sauce, or sweet pineapple-coconut tamales.)
Aguas frescas and beer are included, all in Lina’s movie-worthy traditional kitchen.
Expect the whole experience—class and meal—to last about 4-5 wonderful hours.
When: Plan ahead! These classes are super popular and you need to reserve weeks or months beforehand.
Locals’ Tip: Besides the full 4-5 hour class, there’s also a shorter 2 hour option where you learn to make tacos, quesadillas, salsas, or ancestral snacks like tlacoyos—also super yum!
Saturday: Fresh Fruit Mojitos and Rumba
You’ve never had a mojito like the ones at Batey Mojito and Guarapo Bar. All the ingredients are 100% natural.
That’s what that unusual machine on top of an old VW Bug is for: they literally press fresh sugarcane on the spot to make syrup for the drinks! Then, prickly pears, passionfruit and mint get pounded right into your glass.
Happily, drink prices are decent, plus there’s live music and the local “Creativatti” (a beautiful but relaxed crowd). Making this easily one of the best non-pretentious, classic things to do in Tulum on a Saturday night.
Where: Calle Centauro Sur
Be Sure to Try: Any drinks with ginger
Locals’ Tip: The bar is cash only, and food is limited, so eat first and bring pesos.
Sunday: Paint and Chill
La Guarida is much more than a café-bar: it’s a cultural hub with all kinds of films, shows, and workshops. Sundays, you can come paint with recycled materials from 6-8 pm. Then stay to hang out with a great musical backdrop (DJ or live groups).
Other days, workshops include singing, theater, writing, and more, all taught by local artists. And daily, there’s a whole range of danceable music from afrobeats to cumbia. Check their current schedule: @laguarida_tulum on Instagram.
How to Have the Best Time in Tulum at Night
As Tulum has grown, so has the hype and overpriced tourist traps, but there are still plenty of great things to do with an authentic vibe. This is just a partial list!
You could also try a nighttime Temazcal steam bath, walk around downtown and shop for handmade jewelry at a night market, or experience fire eating and plate smashing at Ilios Greek restaurant. If you’re up for a drive, you can even visit Chichen Itza at night! (About 2 hours away).
To have the best time in Tulum at night and find the best things to do, we recommend:
Always checking with venues for their latest schedules, as these tend to change often
Take taxis between the Beach Zone and the Centro. It’s too far to walk, though biking can work. There’s no Uber in Tulum.
Be open to talking to new people and having an adventure! Besides tourists, Tulum is home to an amazing collection of artists, musicians, acrobats, designers, chefs, and ecologists, among many others.
Come experience our real local culture, our jungles, beaches, and sacred cenotes and have the time of your life!
