Pop superstar Katy Perry returned to Mexico to present her Out of Office Tour on Tuesday (Aug. 25) at the Feria Nacional Potosina (FENAPO), in a free concert that turned out to be one of the most massive shows she has ever performed — drawing 310,000 people, according to figures provided by the organizers. The show included a heartfelt tribute to country legend Dolly Parton, who had passed away hours earlier.
Held in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, the concert was part of a series of shows and a mini-tour of European festivals where Perry blends biggest hits like “California Gurls,” “Roar” and “Firework” with large-scale technological elements such as a laptop, a smartphone, a sunflower and an enormous plastic bottle she climbs into to interact with the crowd.
The show was also streamed on FENAPO’s social media channels, as previously announced by the state governor Ricardo Gallardo, who told Billboard Español that Perry’s performance would set a precedent for the event, as it “confirms Mexico’s place in the entertainment world, but also its standing in Latin America,” he declared.
Over nearly two hours, the California star delivered a journey through her biggest hits, spoke a bit of Spanish, dedicated a song to her young daughter Daisy Dove for her birthday, and invited a child onto the stage to join her. A standout moment included her invitation to a group of local fans who recorded a video with her to the rhythm of “Watch It Burn” as a thank-you for camping outside the venue for days to be among the first to enter the concert.
Perry returned to the Latin American country after previously kicking off her global The Lifetimes Tour at Arena Ciudad de México in April 2025.
Below, our five favorite moments from Katy Perry’s show at FENAPO.
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A heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton
The passing of Dolly Parton on Tuesday (Aug. 25) took the world by surprise — including Katy Perry. While thanking fans at her FENAPO show for making her 2015 song “The One That Got Away” go viral, and discussing the importance of songs remaining relevant over the years for singer-songwriters, Perry took a moment to offer a heartfelt tribute to Parton, whom she cited as a major influence, noting that they had shared the stage years ago. She then dedicated her 2008 song “Thinking of You” to her.
“Today we lost one of the best songwriters that ever lived, Miss Dolly Parton,” Perry said, visibly moved. “Dolly Parton was an icon who defied the odds, ’cause she had both big boobs, big brains and a big voice in one body. And on top of that, the biggest thing that she did was that she was constantly kind. She was kind to everyone, and it’s not always easy after you’re in the spotlight for decades and decades and decades. So I just wanna send a little love to Miss Dolly Parton”.
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A Happy Birthday to Daisy Dove
The California native dedicated the song “All the Love” to her young daughter, Daisy Dove, who would be celebrating her sixth birthday on Wednesday (Aug. 26). In response, the audience sang a portion of the Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas.”
“Thank you for bringing me back home because, you know, sometimes I go really far up, and tomorrow I gotta be home for my little one, mi niña, Margarita Paloma Daisy Dove,” she said, injecting a couple Spanish words. “I dedicate this song to my daughter, who turns 6 tomorrow. She changed my life six years ago.”
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A Genie in a Bottle
Image Credit: Julio Villalobos Perry provided one of the night’s most entertaining moments by climbing inside a giant inflatable plastic bottle as part of the show. The performer rolled over the audience, sparking laughter, applause and a wave of reactions on social media, where the moment quickly began to go viral among attendees and the pop star’s fans.
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A little mix-up
Katy Perry wanted to test her Spanish skills and ended up in a funny situation when the audience shouted, “¡Mucha ropa, mucha ropa!” (“Too many clothes, too many clothes!”) as she removed some garments to switch to a yellow top. The crowd’s shouting made it hard for her to hear clearly, and she mistakenly thought they were calling her a “pu-a loca” (“crazy whore”), as she later recounted, sparking laughter among the audience.
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Sombreros and Mexican flags
Image Credit: Julio Villalobos The singer also gave a nod to Mexican culture to thank her local “Katygats” for their support over the years, wearing a charro hat and carrying a tricolor flag at the start of the show. During the song “E.T.,” a group of dancers dressed as astronauts also carried the Mexican flag, and she mimicked planting it upon arrival at the Moon — reminiscent of the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Perry even made a wry comment recalling the criticism she faced regarding her participation in a space flight organized by Blue Origin in April 2025.