The annual Celebrate Mexico Now festival is slated to return to New York City for it's seventh season on September 16-30, 201 - just in time to commemorate the bicentennial of the Mexican Revolution and 200 years of Mexican independence.

"Many young Mexican artists and thinkers are rediscovering their roots, the realities that make up their culture, but with a contemporary twist, adding new media, English, and cosmopolitan sensibilities," says festival director/founder Claudia Norman. "As modern Mexico enters its second century, it's not about abstract notions of identity for most artists; it's about connecting with local communities directly, about really incorporating and assimilating what they are, not about nationality."

The multimedia, multi-lingual festival of music, performance, film, installation, and cuisine bills itself as "a groundbreaking citywide festival, [that] offers an introduction to the vanguard of contemporary Mexican art and culture".

Among this year's events will be musical performances from pop singers Ely Guerra and Natalia Lafourcade, Brooklyn-based Mexican rockers Moona Luna, avant garde vocalist Juan Pablo Villa and The Tambuco Percussion Ensemble; installations from visual artists Monica Martinez and Arturo Lopez, selections from The Morelia Film Festival, mescal tastings, the ever-popular Mexican Restaurant Week and more.

See complete events listing below. For more information on tickets,etc consult the Celebrate Mexico Now website.

New York Authentic Mexican Restaurant Week
Thursday - Wednesday , September 16 - 29 , 11:00 am

The Authentic Mexican Flavors Foundation presents the third annual New York Authentic Mexican Restaurant Week with special menus at restaurants throughout the city.

Mexico City Noir
Thursday , September 16 , 7:00 pm

Reading and presentation by editor and writer Paco Igancio Taibo II on this anthology of short mysteries, set in neighborhoods across Mexico City.

Winners of the 2009 Morelia International Film Festival
Friday , September 17 , 7:00 pm

Screening of award-winning short films from the 2009 Morelia International Film Festival, followed by a Q&A;with the directors from Mexico.

Moona Luna
Saturday, September 18 , 12:00 pm

The family-friendly alter-ego of Latin alternative band Pistolera, Moona Luna creates toe-tapping songs in Spanish and English for kids and parents alike.

Opening Reception for 'Monica Martinez: Wurmhaus'
Saturday , September 18 , 2:00 pm

Artist Monica Martinez proposes an alternative to contemporary agriculture and its ecological impact by creating a micro architectural habitat for the edible mealworm.

Natalia Lafourcade
Saturday , September 18 , 7:30 pm

Young Mexican pop singer Natalia Lafourcade has been taken under the wing of superstars Julieta Venegas and Café Tacuba--and for a good reason.

Entomo-Cuisine: An Insect Pairing Dinner
Saturday , September 18 , 8:00 pm

Chef and visual artist Philip Ross prepares a four-course menu based on worms grown by artist Monica Martinez.

Natalia Lafourcade
Saturday , September 18 , 9:30 pm

Young Mexican pop singer Natalia Lafourcade has been taken under the wing of superstars Julieta Venegas and Café Tacuba--and for a good reason.

'The New Songs of the Ceiba'
Wednesday , September 22 , 7:00 pm

Book presentation on 'The New Songs of the Ceiba,'a trilingual anthology of literary works by contemporary Mayan writers from the Yucatán Peninsula.

Zarela's Mexican Corn Kitchen
Thursday , September 23 , 6:00 pm

A lecture and cooking demonstration with Mexican chef and food historian Zarela Martinez on corn.

Juan Pablo Villa + Arturo López: 'La Gruta de Baba'
Thursday , September 23 , 8:30 pm

Mexican singer and composer Juan Pablo Villa showcases his creative vocal skills in this improvisation-based concert, accompanied by Arturo López's live sequence of ephemeral projections.

Ely Guerra
Friday , September 24 , 7:00 pm

Mexican alt-rock icon Ely Guerra returns to NYC with her newest album, 'Hombre Invisible.'

'Hasta el ultimo Trago...Corazon' (Till the Last Drop...My Love)
Saturday , September 25 , 2:00 pm

A documentary valentine to Mexican music and the women who have shaped its development.

Reading: Carlos Monsiváis in New York
Wednesday , September 29 , 7:00 pm

Carlos Monsiváis (1938-2010) was one of Mexico's most important public intellectuals, serving as an indispensable chronicler of Mexican arts, culture and politics for more than 40 years.

Tambuco Percussion Ensemble
Thursday , September 30 , 7:30 pm

A three-time Grammy nominee, Tambuco is renowned for its wide-ranging repertoire and creative interpretations of percussion music.