What to Wear in Cabo San Lucas in December

Pack for a week on the water. FICC Los Cabos, the international film and creativity festival, holds its 14th edition on 9–13 December 2026. In 2025 the municipality's Mar y Christmas parade put 25 lit boats on the bay on Sunday 14 December, and last winter SEMARNAT opened whale watching on the 15th. SMN's averages for its Cabo San Lucas station give 27.4°C by day and a night that falls to 14.0°C / 57°F. An early boat leaves in that cool and moves fast. Visit Los Cabos makes the same call: "A light sweater for evening strolls, swimwear for impromptu dips, and sun protection essentials should find their way into every suitcase."

The capsule

1. 
   01

   White cotton cable sweater, crew neck

   An early whale boat leaves soon after sunrise, 6:53am on 15 December, while the town is still near the station's 14°C / 57°F low, and a boat at speed makes its own wind. A cotton cable knit holds warmth through that first hour, shrugs off salt spray and washes in a hotel sink. It comes off once the afternoon climbs to 27.4°C.

2. 
   02

   Cream cotton chinos, straight leg

   Last winter's SEMARNAT notice kept whale watching out of a 2 km zone round El Arco and out of the port, so the boats worked open water beyond the Arch. A straight leg stays put on a deck running at speed, where a wide leg flaps and soaks up spray. Cream cotton twill cuts the wind under the sweater and goes straight on to lunch in town.

3. 
   03

   Tan leather boat shoes

   Visit Los Cabos notes that El Arco is "accessible only by boat from Medano Beach or the Cabo San Lucas Marina", so the Arch, Lover's Beach and the whale boats all start with a step down into a boat. Rubber soles grip a deck wet with spray where sandals slide, and the laces round the collar pull tight so a shoe stays on. Tan leather dries without marking.

4. 
   04

   Sand cotton-twill cap

   A wide straw brim lifts off the first time the boat opens its throttle; a cap with a strap at the back stays on. A whale boat works open water, outside the 2 km zone round El Arco, on an open deck with no shade. Sand twill matches the chinos, and a cap rinses clean of salt in the sink with the sweater.

5. 
   05

   Cobalt short-sleeve zip-front surf suit

   Swim inside the bays. Visit Los Cabos points to the protected water at Médano Beach and at Lover's Beach near El Arco, and tells you to "look for the green flags". Short sleeves cover your shoulders on a snorkel at Lover's Beach, and the front zip opens on the ride back. The sea off Cabo San Lucas averages about 25°C in December.

6. 
   06

   Oversized white linen shirt

   This goes over the surf suit in the water taxi back from Lover's Beach, under the cable sweater on the morning boat, and tucked into the wrap skirt at night. Turned-back sleeves shade your forearms through a 27.4°C afternoon without the weight of a jacket. Loose linen dries quickly after spray, and white matches the sweater it sits under.

7. 
   07

   Terracotta linen wrap skirt, knee length

   Parade night is spent standing. In 2025, 25 lit boats crossed the bay on Sunday 14 December while families watched from the Marina, Playa El Médano and Playa Corsario, and the night ended with fireworks. A knee-length wrap moves easily in a crowd, the side tie loosens after dinner, and terracotta reads as evening against the white linen shirt.

8. 
   08

   Bone-white leather sandals, crossed straps and ankle strap

   In 2025 the parade crowd stood on two beaches, El Médano and Playa Corsario, as well as the Marina. A buckled ankle strap keeps a flat sandal on in soft sand, where a slide gets left behind. The low stacked heel takes the Marina walkway afterwards, and bone-white leather sits with the linen shirt without the glare of optic white.

A suggested look — white cable-knit crew sweater, white linen shirt, cream straight-leg chinos, tan leather boat shoes, sand cotton cap.

What to avoid

• Swimming or diving from a whale-watching boat
• A kayak or paddleboard trip out to the whales
• The water on a red flag
• A T-shirt alone on an early boat
• Booking parade night before the municipality announces it