What’s On in Latin America: The Week of October 19–25, 2026

Latin America · What’s On

Your Latin America week ahead for 19–25 October 2026 is built around Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October and the last television debate on Friday 23. In between come the Copa Libertadores semi-final return legs, a Colombian concert that changed venue and a Chilean festival that is new this year.

This guide was written on Sunday 18 October. Every date is checked against an official calendar, a venue or a ticketing page, and local-currency prices carry an approximate US$ conversion at US$1 = CLP 984 (EODHD close of Friday 16 October).

Politics you will feel on the street

Brazil votes in the presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October, one week from today. Lula, of the Workers’ Party (PT), faces Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL), according to the electoral court (TSE) and Brazilian press reports.

Globo holds the final debate on Friday 23 October at its studios in Rio de Janeiro, straight after the evening news programme Jornal Nacional. The second runoff debate, hosted by Band, is today, Sunday 18 October, at 8 p.m. Brasília time, after a first debate by a media consortium on Thursday 15.

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time across the country. Voting therefore ends earlier on the clock in the western states that sit one or two hours behind Brasília.

For US readers, the main exposure is the real (BRL). Brazilian assets often move on election news, and the real stood at about R$5.06 per US$ at the close on Friday 16 October (EODHD).

What Prediction Markets Say

Brazil runoff. On Sunday 18 October, 4 a.m. US Eastern, Polymarket priced a Flávio Bolsonaro win at 81.0% and a Lula win at 19.5%, with about US$187 million traded on the market. Kalshi, regulated in the US by the CFTC, priced them at 79.0% and 20.0% on its last trades.

Copa Libertadores. Polymarket priced Flamengo at 48.5%, Palmeiras at 40.5% and Estudiantes at 8.8% to win the title, with about US$35,000 traded. Kalshi’s last trades put Flamengo at 60% and Palmeiras at 54%, which do not add up to 100% because each club trades as a separate contract.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

Deadlines and money

Argentina publishes its September trade balance on Monday 19 October at 4 p.m. Buenos Aires time (3 p.m. US Eastern), according to the INDEC calendar. The EODHD consensus is a surplus of US$2.5 billion, against US$2.19 billion before.

Argentina also receives its monthly activity index (EMAE) for August on Wednesday 21 October, according to INDEC. The EODHD calendar lists −0.9% against −1.4% before, but does not say whether that is a monthly or a yearly change.

Mexico reports August retail sales on Wednesday 21 October, according to the EODHD economic calendar. The statistics office, INEGI, publishes inflation for the first half of October on Thursday 22, with consensus at 0.3% over two weeks against 0.33% before.

Mexico then reports its August economic activity index (IGAE) on Friday 23 October, with consensus at 2.5% over twelve months against 3.4% before. That index tracks the output of the economy month by month.

Brazil reports mid-month inflation (IPCA-15) for October on Friday 23 October, according to the IBGE calendar. The EODHD consensus is 0.4% for the month and 4.6% over twelve months, against 0.7% and 4.47% before.

The central bank’s weekly Focus survey of economists comes out on Monday 19 October. It shows how private economists expect inflation, growth and the Selic (Brazil’s benchmark interest rate) to move.

Colombia reports August economic activity (the ISE index) on Monday 19 October and its August trade balance on Wednesday 21, according to the EODHD calendar. China publishes third-quarter GDP on Monday 19 at 10 a.m. Beijing time, according to the national statistics bureau, which matters for commodity exporters such as Brazil, Chile and Colombia.

No rate decision is scheduled this week at the central banks of Brazil, Chile or Colombia, according to their calendars. Chile’s central bank meets on 26–27 October, and Brazil’s Copom meets on 3–4 November.

Culture and events this week

Festival Bamba is a new two-day festival in Parque O’Higgins, Santiago, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Juanes, Marc Anthony, Fito Páez, Carlos Vives and Bomba Estéreo are on the bill, and day passes start at CLP 79,200 (about US$80) through Ticketmaster Chile.

Fonseca plays Bogotá on Saturday 24 October at 8 p.m., his first solo concert at El Campín. The concert moved to the Vive Claro Estadio because of the state of the El Campín pitch, and tickets already bought remain valid.

Mexico City holds the Mega Procesión de Catrinas on Sunday 25 October, its 13th edition, from about 6 p.m. along the route from the Angel of Independence to the Zócalo. Entry is free, and the procession is part of the build-up to the Day of the Dead on 1–2 November.

Football. In the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals, Vasco da Gama host Boca Juniors at the Maracanã in Rio on Tuesday 20 October at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, leading 1–0 after the first leg. Atlético Mineiro visit Montevideo City Torque in Montevideo on Wednesday 21 at 7 p.m. Brasília time, leading 3–0.

In the Libertadores, Palmeiras lead Fluminense 2–1 before the return leg in São Paulo on Wednesday 21 at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time. Flamengo host Estudiantes at the Maracanã on Thursday 22 at 9:30 p.m., after a 0–0 first leg.

Heads-ups for travellers and new arrivals

Clock change. Europe goes back to winter time on Sunday 25 October, so calls with Lisbon or London move by an hour. Brazil does not use daylight saving time, so the gap with Lisbon narrows from four hours to three.

Runoff weekend. Election day is a Sunday, so check transport and opening hours before you travel that weekend. Expect crowds and queues around polling stations in Brazil’s big cities.

Colombia. Holders of residence visas issued before 21 October 2022 must switch to the new visa types by Saturday 31 October 2026, under Resolution 9316 of 2024. Check the foreign ministry’s latest notice before you apply.

What we could not confirm. We could not confirm ticket prices for Fonseca or the football matches, or any airline strike dates for 19–23 October.

Looking ahead

The Libertadores final is on Saturday 28 November in Montevideo, and the Sudamericana final on Saturday 21 November in Barranquilla. Formula 1 returns to Mexico City on 30 October–1 November, and Chile marks a public holiday on Saturday 31 October.

Weeks like this one show a pattern: official calendars (data, debates, holidays) are firm, while markets and results stay open. The dates above are the part of the week that will not move.

More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Background: Brazil Elections 2026: the runoff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: TSE, Globo and Band reports on the runoff and the debates; INDEC, IBGE, INEGI and DANE release calendars; EODHD economic calendar for consensus and previous values and for exchange rates; Polymarket and Kalshi for prediction-market prices (18 October 2026, 4 a.m. US Eastern); Ticketmaster Chile and Chile Travel on Festival Bamba; Infobae, Vanguardia and RCN on Fonseca; Publimetro and Emprendedor on the Mega Procesión de Catrinas; Emol and CONMEBOL reports on the semi-finals; Resolution 9316 of 2024 and EY and Vialto summaries on the Colombian visa deadline; Banco Central de Chile and Copom calendars. Local-currency figures carry approximate US$ conversions at the rates cited; prices and availability move.