MEXICO CITY, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The 37th annual International Cervantes Culture Festival will begin on Wednesday in central Mexican city Guanajuato, which is expected to attract more than 2,300 artists from 20 nations.

    Music and drama from Canadian city Quebec, one of two guests of honor, will be played during the 19-day festival, including recitals from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

    Nearby Mexican state Zacatecas, the other guest of honor, will present its own Philharmonic Orchestra, International Music Group and Folklore Dance Troupe.

    The festival will also celebrate the United Nations year of astronomy with the theme "400 Years of Galileo and His Telescope", with performances of Mexico's City's Fine Arts Theater Orchestra and Choir.

    The city is also expected to set a new world record for the most people observing the stars simultaneously by telescope in one place.