Why People Flock to Puerto Vallarta in the Winter Especially in December

By Paco Ojeda

You’re back! That is, the streets of Puerto Vallarta are once again packed with short-term visitors and snowbirds, eager to escape from the cold even for a few days. For those of us living here year-around, the change is quite noticeable, and it happens quite suddenly. Curiously enough, this year it happened earlier than usual, with noticeable crowds arriving early November and not closer to Thanksgiving.

This makes a lot of sense from our end. For decades, Puerto Vallarta has been progressively evolving into a destination with enough familiar traits for north-of-the-border visitors to feel perfectly at ease, but with enough sense of adventure to guarantee a return home with excellent vacation memories and anecdotes.

December is a month full of tradition throughout Mexico, as we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe—an internationally recognized symbol of Catholic Mexicans—on the 12th. The celebration begins on December 1, however, with daily pilgrimages or processions that begin at different points throughout the city, and end at Puerto Vallarta’s Lady of Guadalupe parish, in El Centro, providing visitors with excellent photo ops of Aztec dancers, street vendors and an overall festive feeling throughout the day.

The Posadas take over on December 16 and continue through the 24th. They began in Mexico and many Latin American countries some 400 ago as religious observances, and while many continue to preserve their essence, for others organizing or attending a posada has become a more secular excuse to gather with friends before Christmas. Many local businesses organize a posada to thank their employees and their families for another successful year, so if you happen to be invited to one, accept the invitation. You may end up standing in line waiting for your turn to hit and hopefully break a candy-stuffed piñata with a stick!

Although the idea of breaking a piñata goes back to 14th Century Europe but has truly become a staple of Mexican culture. And while many piñatas are created in traditional shapes (nine-pointed stars, for example) it is also quite common to find piñatas resembling cartoon characters or larger-than-life celebrities. So, make time to visit the Isla Rio Cuale Municipal Market for that priceless selfie shot with a Trump piñata!

Between Christmas and New Year’s there will be no shortage of parties, dinners and events for you to attend. In Mexico it is somewhat traditional to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner with family and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve with friends. Again, this can be a very traditional celebration for some and festive for others. Regardless, go with the flow if you are invited to a traditional Christmas event as you will probably experience a new take on a celebration you already know.

Finally, Puerto Vallarta transforms into a city-wide party on New Year’s Eve, with all sorts of options for you, from early evening dinners to lively free block parties (the one on Olas Altas St. is a must-crash) to sexy circuit parties at some of the local gay clubs. This year the annual White Party festivities commence on December 27 with an amazing lineup of internationally renowned DJs and performers. For more information, please visit www.jeffreysanker.com.

Happy travels!

Paco Ojeda is a Puerto Vallarta-based journalist, photographer and musician. His website, www.paco-ojeda.com, provides useful content for the local English-speaking community a few adventurous travelers!