Puerto Vallarta Events & Festivals

What's on through the year — the festivals worth planning a trip around, and the ones worth avoiding the crowds of.

By Sam Med · Last updated October 2026

Night-time crowd at an event in Puerto Vallarta — A night-time crowd in Puerto Vallarta. Photo: Another Believer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Puerto Vallarta has a busy calendar of religious festivals, cultural events and seasonal draws. Some are worth timing a trip around; others simply mean higher prices and fuller beaches. Here's what's on, and our write-ups of the big ones.

Dates for the 2026–27 season

From late October 2026 to the end of May 2027, in date order. Where organisers have published dates, we give them; where they haven't yet, we give the usual dates and mark them expected. Mexican public holidays and school breaks are in the table too, because they fill hotels as surely as any festival.

When	What	Good to know
24 Oct – 15 Nov 2026	Festival de las Almas (Day of the Dead season)	Jalisco's state-wide Día de Muertos festival, with ofrendas and night events on the waterfront. Puerto Vallarta's own programme is due in late October.
Wednesdays, 28 Oct 2026 – 26 May 2027	Art Walk	Galleries in Centro open from 6 to 10 pm, free to walk in. Pick up the route map at any participating gallery. The organisers call 2026–27 their 30th season.
Thursdays from late Oct (expected)	Art & Market Marina Vallarta	More than 200 stalls on the marina boardwalk, 6 to 10 pm, until mid-May. The 2025–26 season opened on 30 October.
29 Oct – 2 Nov 2026	Día de Muertos surf tournament, Sayulita	Shortboard, longboard, paddleboard and bodyboard categories. On 2 November Sayulita officially becomes Mexico's first "Surf City" in the World Surf Cities Network. See surfing.
1–2 Nov 2026 (Sun–Mon)	Día de los Muertos	The main days, at the cemeteries, in Centro and on the Malecón. In recent years the Catrina parade has run on the evening of 2 November, from the Cinco de Diciembre cemetery to Los Arcos. 2 November is a school holiday in Mexico.
11–14 Nov 2026 (Wed–Sat)	International Fishing Tournament	Marlin, tuna and dorado, based on the Marina Vallarta malecón. 2026 is its 70th anniversary. To fish yourself, see fishing in Puerto Vallarta.
12–22 Nov 2026	Festival Gourmet International	Ten days of guest-chef menus and special dinners in restaurants around the bay. Book the dinners you want as soon as the programme is out.
14–16 Nov 2026 (Sat–Mon)	Revolution Day long weekend	Public holiday on Monday 16 November. Expect more Mexican visitors and higher weekend rates.
26 Nov 2026 (Thu)	US Thanksgiving	One of the first busy weeks of the high season for flights and hotels.
1–12 Dec 2026	Fiestas de Guadalupe	The city's biggest festival: nightly processions through Centro to the church, building to 12 December.
8 Dec 2026 – 23 Mar 2027	Whale-watching season	The official window for whale-watching boats in Banderas Bay has run from 8 December to 23 March each year. Sightings peak from late January to early March.
21 Dec 2026 – 5 Jan 2027	Christmas, New Year and Mexican school holidays	The most expensive fortnight of the year. Book flights and rooms months ahead.
30 Jan – 1 Feb 2027 (Sat–Mon)	Constitution Day long weekend	Public holiday on Monday 1 February.
13–15 Mar 2027 (Sat–Mon)	Benito Juárez Day long weekend	Public holiday on Monday 15 March. US and Canadian spring breaks also fall in March.
21–28 Mar 2027	Semana Santa (Holy Week)	Easter Sunday is 28 March. Mexican schools are off from 22 March to 2 April, so the week after Easter stays busy too. The most crowded beaches of the year.
15 May – 10 Jun 2027 (expected)	Restaurant Week	Fixed-price set menus during the cheapest weeks to travel. The 2026 edition ran from 15 May to 10 June with 51 restaurants; 2027 dates aren't announced yet.
23–31 May 2027 (expected)	Vallarta Pride	One of Mexico's biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations, centred on Zona Romántica. Listed for the week leading up to US Memorial Day (31 May); confirm with the organisers before booking.