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Dozens of annual events in Riviera Nayarit add even more excitement, culture, fun, and festivity to a typical Mexican vacation. When you factor in all the sailing, bird watching, surfing, and art shopping available all year round, it’s clear: Riviera Nayarit is a great travel destination for the whole family.
Here are some exciting events in Riviera Nayarit you may wish to base your travel around:
Sport fishing is a major attraction in Riviera Nayarit, reeling in amateur and experienced anglers worldwide.
The annual International San Blas Fishing Tournament celebrated its 57th year running in May 2017. A total of 48 boats arrived at the historic Marina Fontour to compete for over 3 million pesos in prizes, including new cars. Teams from all over Mexico, Canada, the United States, and even South Africa baited sailfish, marlin, and mahi-mahi. The tournament is not only considered the best of its kind in the Mexican Pacific, but is one of the best events in Riveria Nayarit, period.
For more than 11 years straight, the Bahia de Banderas Sport Fishing Club invites anglers to the Vallarta Yacht Club, hosted by the Paradise Village Hotel in Nuevo Vallarta, for a weekend in mid-July. Cocktail parties, fish receptions, and big amphitheater award ceremonies are all part of the prestige, but even more tantalizing are the prizes – top-of-the-line equipment from Shamano, cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $3,300, fish finder GPS, engine tuning kits, and Costa del Mar sunglasses. The record marlin caught topped 700 pounds!
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle celebrates Children’s Day in true Riviera Nayarit fashion – with a late April children’s fishing tournament. The tournament is supported by the Banderas Bay Fishing Club, with room for up to 500 kids to fish off the pier at the Marina Riviera Nayarit for free. All kids receive a free t-shirt, ball, bag of candy, food, and drinks. The top 10 catches for participants ages 3-12 will win big prizes, including board games, fishing gear, and new bicycles.
Riviera Nayarit is known for its high quality of chef-prepared gourmet cuisine and its rich supply of tropical fruit.
The Gourmet Festival began in 1995 to put Puerto Vallarta on the map as a world-class culinary destination, and to encourage celebrity chefs to visit the region. Cooking shows, sumptuous feasts, theme nights, and picnic brunches are part of the spectacular two-week program in November. Over half a million gourmet food fans and 500 celebrity chefs have attended the festival thus far, making it the largest food event in Riviera Nayarit.
Come and experience all that the versatile mango can do! The first annual Mango Festival was held July 1st, 2017 to celebrate “the king of tropical fruit” that this region is known for, the world over. Held at Plaza Lazaro Cardenas, the event features various mango dishes prepared by local restaurants and vendors, along with live entertainment such as native folklore, soft Latin music, youth Mariachi, ballet, and Classic Rock tributes.
July’s Punta Mita Beach Festival represents “the ultimate in summer fun” for families. Adventurers are invited to participate in beach activities like yoga, wind-surfing, kayaking, canoeing, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, paddle-boarding, and kite-surfing by day. Special guest athletes like champion surfers, yoga masters, and stand-up paddleboard makers are on hand to share their passion for the sports they’ve pioneered. DJs entertain, spinning live music all day long, while guests are treated to gourmet eats prepared by chefs from local five-star hotels.
Amazing spectacles await in the diverse communities dotting the Riviera Nayarit, from the beach to the village square.
“RHA” means water flowing in wixárika, the language of Riviera Nayarit’s indigenous people, the Huichol. Attendees dance beneath the stars in soft sands over four nights at the end of June / early July. Famous international electronic music artists like Green Velvet, Walker & Royce, and Purple Disco Machine provide the soundtrack. While there are many flyaway festivals to choose from, the RHA Festival stands out for its stunning resort accommodations and inviting, tourist-friendly atmosphere.
Visit San Francisco, Nayarit’s Plaza del Sol in December to experience the local artistic and cultural expression in all its splendor. For more than a decade, the San Pancho Collective has invited the diverse community, from hippies and ranchers to surfers and business professionals, to participate in a family-friendly celebration of music, theater, circus, magic, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, video, martial arts, horsemanship, indigenous arts and crafts, gastronomy, and parade.
The Festival Sayulita is a unique gathering for all lovers of Mexico, Film, Tequila, Food, Music, and Surf, hosted every January on the 14th through the 18th. The beautiful town of Sayulita provides a scenic, natural background, tailor-made for a festival. View films that are both provocative and creative in venues throughout town, including large screens out on the sand. Other events include master tastings, tequila and food pairings, lectures, private screenings, and live music.
This is, of course, just a small smattering of the best events in Riviera Nayarit. RivieraNayarit.com lists noteworthy happenings for every month of the year! Contact Sea Side Reservations to learn more about the best times to travel to Riviera Nayarit, and to book quality accommodations nearest these events.
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