Claudia Sheinbaum will lead the cry of mexico from Palacio Nacional on the night of 15 de septiembre, touching the bell and delivering the traditional Grito de Independencia from the central balcony. Crowds are expected in the Zócalo de Ciudad de México as México begins the celebration that points toward Independence Day on 16 de septiembre.
Palacio Nacional and the bell
The national ceremony begins when the president goes out to the balcony, receives the Mexican flag and rings the bell. Sheinbaum will then mention figures from the independence struggle, and the crowd answers with “¡Viva!” before the ceremony ends with three cheers for México, the National Anthem and a light or fireworks show.
In 2025, her first presidential Grito included recognition of Indigenous women, migrant communities, anonymous heroines and values such as liberty, equality and justice. Univision will air the special “¡Viva México, Fiesta Mexicana!” on 15 de septiembre starting at 11:35 p.m. Eastern time and 10:35 p.m. Central time, and the transmission will also be available on ViX.
Dolores Hidalgo and 1810
The ceremony recalls the call Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla made during the early morning of 16 de septiembre de 1810 in Dolores, now Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, when he rang the bells of his parish and called on the inhabitants to rise up against the authorities of Nueva España. That Grito de Dolores marked the beginning of a war that lasted more than a decade.
Historian Alfredo Ávila told Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México that there are records of nighttime celebrations dating back to 1824. That timeline complicates the common claim that Porfirio Díaz moved the ceremony to 15 de septiembre to match his birthday, since the testimony cited by Ávila predates his presidency and Díaz was born on 15 de septiembre.
Sheinbaum and the arenga
There is no definitive transcription of Hidalgo’s words, so the modern arenga is a commemorative recreation rather than a literal quote from 1810. The names and values added by each president change the wording, but the structure stays the same: the bell, the flag, the shout, the response from the crowd and the closing anthem.
For people gathering in the Zócalo de Ciudad de México, and for Mexican and Mexican American communities celebrating in the United States, the night centers on the same sequence. Sheinbaum’s turn at the balcony places her inside that inherited script, with the final “¡Viva México!” carrying the ceremony to its end.
