What’s there
The Centro Estatal de las Artes (CEART) Tijuana is the state arts center in the city. It marked its 11th anniversary in April 2024 and draws about 100,000 visitors a year to a campus of six buildings and a plaza that holds 2,000 people, El Imparcial reported at the time. Its spaces include the Galería Internacional, a Sala Cinematográfica and the Foro Experimental, and this fall’s program also uses the explanada of the Caja Negra and the Taller de Artes Plásticas, the visual arts workshop, for performances (El Imparcial, En Línea BC).
What to expect
On most days CEART works as a school as much as a venue. It offers about 90 artistic workshops in dance, theater, visual arts and music, in two terms a year (February to June and September to December), with around 800 students per term, plus free workshops for older adults, Diario Tijuana reported in 2024.
In October it becomes one of the main Tijuana stages of the state’s 25th Festival de Octubre. En Línea BC’s Oct. 10 rundown of CEART’s program includes Las familias de la orquesta (Thursday, Oct. 15, 5 p.m.), a Dalí talk by Gregorio Luke (Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m., Caja Negra explanada), Lete, entes en el río (Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., Foro Experimental), Que el amor nos haga (Thursday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.) and the Wajdi Riahi Trio (Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., Foro Experimental).
The headline act of the season is Desafío Dalí, an immersive exhibition that opens Friday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (En Línea BC). The state’s cultural agenda lists it into January 2027.
Prices and entry
Much of the festival program is free, though some shows require registration or seat people until the room is full, according to Tijuana Eventos’ festival guide. Desafío Dalí is ticketed, with tickets sold through Fanki (En Línea BC). For the fall 2024 term, workshops cost a single fee of MX$2,500, with enrollment done in person at the administration offices (Diario Tijuana).
Getting there
CEART is at Vía Rápida Oriente 15320, behind Parque Morelos (Diario Tijuana), in the same part of town as El Trompo, so the two pair well for a family day. Plan on driving or taking a taxi or ride-hail from Zona Centro or Zona Río rather than walking. Parque Morelos also hosts the Tijuana Book Fair from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1.
Good to know
- Administration hours in 2024 were weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the office phone listed then was 664 104 0273 (Diario Tijuana).
- Festival times can shift; check CEART’s social media and our calendar the week of a show.
- Visiting with kids? The Dalí exhibition and El Trompo nearby make an easy rainy-day plan.
More places and plans: our guides and the events calendar.
Sources and review
Reviewed · 2026-10-12.
- Diario Tijuana — CEART Tijuana: Vía Rápida Oriente 15320 behind Parque Morelos, office hours, phone, 90 workshops, MX$2,500 fee (Aug. 24, 2024)
- El Imparcial — CEART Tijuana turns 11: 100,000 visitors a year, six buildings, plaza for 2,000, Galería Internacional, Sala Cinematográfica, Foro Experimental (Apr. 20, 2024)
- En Línea BC — CEART is a Festival de Octubre 2026 host: program with dates, times and rooms; Desafío Dalí from Oct. 16, 10:00–19:00 (Oct. 10, 2026)
- Agenda Cultural de Baja California — Desafío Dalí at CEART Tijuana, Oct. 16, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027
- Tijuana Eventos — Festival de Octubre 2026 guide: most events free; some need registration or are first come (updated Sept. 28, 2026)
Confirm hours, prices and entry conditions directly with the place before visiting.