Puerto Vallarta's Day of the Dead 2013 Festivities Begin on Halloween Visit Puerto Vallarta
go to original October 26, 2013

Vallarta Centro A.C., in conjunction with the Head of Municipal Markets, the Subdepartment of Culture, the Department of Education and the Honorable City of Puerto Vallarta, are organizing the 4th Day of the Dead Festival, which will take place from October 31 to November 2, 2013. Get acquainted with the program of activities, and live this great tradition in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

During the Festival there will be a Display of Altars by schools, hotels, restaurants, general businesses and neighbors of Puerto Vallarta, to be located in various public places in the city such as the Malecón, external corridors of City Hall and Plaza Lazaro Cardenas.

Tourists and residents are invited to visit the altars that are displayed at the "PASSPORTS" of the Festival of the Dead, where, upon arriving at each destination, the document will be stamped with the logo of each exhibitor, and they will have the right to participate in the raffle of awards given by participating hotels, which will be held at the event on November 2nd at the Rio Cuale Market.

Hotels participating in this exhibition:

• Hotel Villa Premiere - Martires Mexicanos
• Hotel Rosita - Salvador Gonzalez Gutierrez
• Hotel Rio - Felipe Carrillo Puerto
• Hotel Catedral - Frida Kahlo
• Belmar Hotel Galeria - Carlos Fuentes
• Hotel Posada de Roger- Elizabeth Taylor
• Hotel Eloisa - Mario Moreno - Cantinflas
• Emperador Hotel & Suites - Diego Rivera
• Villa Mercedes Petit Hotel - Dr. Jose Maria Guillen
• Mercado Rio Cuale - Rocio Durcal

These hotels are located in downtown. The box to deposit the Passports will be located near the Altar of the Rio Cuale Market on Matamoros Street.

On October 31, a Catrina contest will be held starting at 11:00 am on Agustín Rodríguez Street (in front of the Río Cuale Market). The winners of the contest will be awarded during the November 2nd event outside the market.

On November 1 at 7:00 p.m. the Catrinas from Aguascalientes will be on display at the Malecón Arches.

Starting at 7:00 pm, the Day of the Dead party begins, celebrating the little angels or deceased children.

This day the party will be at Plaza Lazaro Cardenas, with the sale of popular festival Mexican dishes, a sampling of Day of the Dead bread accompanied by hot chocolate, as well as the Xiutla Ballet which will represent different folklore scenes from various states of the Mexican Republic, the rituals of the Day of the Dead celebration. There will also be people available to do skeleton face painting for every visitor.

The site will be decorated for the Altars of the Dead exhibition.

On November 2nd, the activities of the day will begin at 12:00 pm with Verbena Popular at the Rio Cuale Market. Later, the Viva la Muerte! Caravan will leave from San Salvador Street in front of the Municipal Cemetary in the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood.

The XIUTLA Folkloric Ballet and the Aguacalientes Catrinas, as well as the Charros with their dancing horses, the batucadas and scenic groups from the Cultural Institute, as well as schools and the general public, all dressed as catrinas or Mexican personages allusive to death, will leave toward the Rio Cuale Market, which will be the place of the grand finale of the Festival, with the popular participation of ranchero singers, the lucky charras with rope flourishes and dancing horses, the presentation of the Xiutla Ballet, the awards for the Catrinas contest, and the raffles from the visits to Altars with Passports, ending with a fireworks show.

Contrary to what many would expect from a day celebrating the dead, it is a day full of colors, smells and tastes to be enjoyed with the family.