MND Local Guadalajara: Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra at Degollado Theater, a vermouth festival and airport updates

As Guadalajara eases into the year-end holiday season, the events calendar is heating up. This week, we preview the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra’s upcoming performances at Degollado Theater and the second annual Guadalajara Vermouth Festival. But first, we have some news regarding expanding international air service at Guadalajara’s Miguel Hidalgo Airport and an update on road work happening on the Chapala Highway. Guadalajara gains another nonstop connection to Seattle this winter Alaska Airlines has announced a new nonstop route from Seattle to Guadalajara. (Alaska Airlines) Those plotting an escape from Seattle’s notoriously gray and rainy winter months will soon have another option to consider. According to Simple Flying, Alaska Airlines is set to begin nonstop service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Guadalajara on March 18, 2027. The airline expects to fly the route year-round, up to three times weekly, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. While the exact days and times have not yet been announced, the planned flight would give Seattle travelers their third nonstop route to Guadalajara. Mexican carriers Volaris and Aeroméxico are already offering nonstop flights between Seattle and Guadalajara. Volaris began offering the route 10 years ago, while Aeroméxico launched its service between the two cities last year. According to the Port of Seattle, outbound travel from SEA to Mexico in 2024 was double its 2019 levels. New project on the Chapala Highway is slowing traffic and fraying nerves Road work is currently causing bottlenecks about 700 meters from the entrance to the Guadalajara International Airport. (GAP) Municipal workers kicked off paving work on the southbound lanes of the Chapala Highway on Nov. 1. The project is causing new headaches for motorists headed to and from the airport and those traveling between the city and Lake Chapala. Workers are reportedly occupying the center lanes in both directions, so motorists are being diverted to outer lanes, which is causing bottlenecks about 700 meters from the entrance to Guadalajara International Airport. On top of the congestion, motorists complained that signage didn’t make it clear which lanes pass by the airport and which ones lead to it. As one female driver told El Informador, “It’s a mess … they don’t warn you. I was going to take the horseshoe to avoid taking the road to Chapala … but it turns out it’s closed and they diverted me to the airport.” MND Local Guadalajara: Airport road update and Line 5’s environmental cost The current project is part of the comprehensive renovation of the Chapala Highway that began last year. The latest phase aims to modernize the road surface and prevent structural damage from the thousands of heavy trucks that ply the highway daily. While local officials have not announced a target completion date for the paving work, it’s likely to run through most of November. For anyone planning to fly out of Guadalajara airport in the coming weeks or during the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s best to build extra time into your schedule. When construction work wraps up, traffic flows, road safety and access to the airport should all materially improve. The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Degollado Theater this month The Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco will be performing in Guadalajara throughout November. (Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco) The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (known locally as Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, or OFJ) returns for its final season of 2026 with a handful of concerts at the venerable Degollado Theater throughout the month. The season’s performances will bring together works by Beethoven, Mahler, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and several Mexican composers. It will also feature the world premiere of a work commissioned by the OFJ itself. The concerts will be led by artistic director José Luis Castillo, along with guest conductors and soloists such as David Cohen, Rodolfo Ritter, Dieter Hennings and Cristian Coliver. Looking ahead to the upcoming performances on Nov. 12 and 15 to be conducted by José María Moreno, the program features works by Florence Price, Carlos Chávez, Mozart Camargo Guarnieri and Joaquín Turina. Later in the month, Rodrigo Sierra Moncayo takes the helm as guest conductor, accompanied by Carlos Gutiérrez on piano, with a program that includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (piano version) and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Wrapping up the series on Nov. 23 and 29 are two special concerts featuring the world premiere of “Ruiseñor de la sombra” (“Nightingale of the Shadow”), a work commissioned by the OFJ from the Guadalajara-born composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. The concerts are performed each Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m., as well as on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. To view the full schedule and buy tickets, visit the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra website or the Teatro Degollado box office in person. The Guadalajara Vermouth Festival returns to Colonia Americana mid-month Martini lovers will appreciate a festival honoring one of the cocktail’s signature ingredients: vermouth. (Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash) In just its second edition, the Guadalajara Vermouth Festival returns to the city on Nov. 14. Long a popular apéritif in Southern Europe, vermouth is beginning to find a receptive audience here in Mexico. Made from a base of neutral wine, the drink is fortified with a distilled spirit and infused with a wide variety of botanicals (herbs, spices and florals). Vermouth can be dry or sweet, white or red. Guests at this year’s event will have the opportunity to learn about how this drink is made and sample a wide variety of vermouths made in Europe and Mexico. For those interested in taking things a step further, there will also be hands-on vermouth-making workshops where participants can craft their own recipe. Live music and bar snacks are also in the works, to keep the buena onda flowing. Tickets to the festival are available online and from a handful of Guadalajara bars partnering with the event, including Metódico Café, Lito Aperitivo Social, Ocio en Plural and Vermutería Don Ajenjo. Each ticket grants the holder a commemorative glass and one complimentary tasting. For more details, check out the festival website. Date: Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to midnight Location: Patio Paraíso at Loba Cervecería, Gregorio Dávila 86 in Colonia Americana Cost: 350 pesos, not including fees MND writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.