Plan for the future
A larger than expected throng of expat Bucerias residents turned out to participate in a workshop for English-speakers at the IMPLAN planning group’s office.
Bahia de Banderas Mayor Jaime Cuevas Tello has charged local specialists and residents of the 34 towns in the municipality with the task of drawing up an urban plan that takes into account the amazing growth in residential and tourism development since 2002
Biologist Daniela Tello led the Bucerias workshop on February 28. She explained that there had already been a workshop in Bucerias, but IMPLAN had not accounted for the large number of interested residents who were not fluent in Spanish. Hence this one was set up to accommodate English-speakers.
Topics under discussion were mostly related to the ability of local infrastructure to keep up with the rapid pace of area growth, especially regarding security, drinking water, sewage treatment, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets, parking, street lighting, street signs, open space preservation for parks and recreation and the disappearance of wildlife habitat. Concerns were raised about the changing image of Bucerias, at one time a small, rustic fishing village but now teeming with an ever-growing number of modern, multi-story residential buildings.
Tello promised that follow-up workshops to fine tune the information gathered will be well publicized and individuals might even be notified by email.
Cats, dogs everywhere
The Bucerias Paws and Claws committee sends a big thank you to everyone who helped make the latest spay/neuter clinic the biggest and most successful Bucerias clinic ever.
The four-day clinic took place in an area of town where the clinics had not been before, near the Los Mangos development in Colonia Ermita.
The clinic “served” 239 cats and dogs. They were spayed or neutered, treated for ticks and fleas and had their nails clipped.
One hundred female dogs, 83 female cats, 36 male dogs and 20 male cats came through the clinic.
It is easy to see how much good these clinics do in the community. The Paws and Claws committee has tentatively scheduled two Bucerias clinics for the next high season.
Funding for the clinics came from a full season of fundraising events. A Pet Picnic on Sunday, March 10 will round out the year of fun, income generating activities.
Anyone wishing to make a donation or to volunteer with Paws and Claws should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Another success
Organizers have declared the 2019 Bucerias Street Festival a roaring success, raising over 83,000 pesos for the two chosen charities, the Paws and Claws spay/neuter program and the Banderas Bay Battered Women’s Shelter.
“We’ve already decided that the next festival will be February 4, 5 and 6, 2020. Watch for it to be bigger and better,” said founder and committee chairperson, Christy Beguesse.
The focal point of the festival was a chalk street art competition. Pedestrians walked between the drawings and the business booths, while the spectacular creations of 21 talented artists took shape.
Artists came from California, Durango, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Mezcales, among other places, and included freestyle participants aged just 12 and 14 years old.
The grand prize winner was Adry del Rocio, second place was Ever Galvez and third place Renatta Arias.
“We absolutely could not have done this without our sponsors: the Stevenson Family, Hearts for Arts in Bucerias, Victoria Pratt/Timothy Real Estate Group, Refugio del Mar, El Divino, Alamar and the Riviera Nayarit Tourism Board,” Beguesse said.
Circus full of kids
In 2011, the co-founder of Cirque Du Soleil, Gilles Ste-Croix, and his wife Monique Voyer, came up with the idea of staging a show with children from the “Entreamigos” community center in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit. The aim was to raise money for its programs.
This was made possible thanks to the support of Circo del Mundo de Cirque du Soleil and their friends who donated the training equipment, the international artists who came down from Canada and the company Cirrus Cirkus, as well as more than 100 local volunteers.
The first public performance of Circo de los Niños took place in March 2011. Over the past eight years the programs have expanded to dance, exercise and circus arts classes for children and adults.
Currently, more than 140 children are enrolled in Circo de los Niños programs.
The school is planning its annual circus show to be held Wednesday to Saturday, March 20-23 inside the Bodega Circo in San Pancho, Nayarit. All the shows are at 7:30 p.m.
Once again there will be tiered bleachers to ensure that every guest has a great view. General entrance tickets are 550 pesos per person and Dream Catchers donation tickets are 2,500 pesos. Children under two years of age are free. The purchase of a pair of Dream Catcher tickets will ensure a full year of scholarship to a child in Circo de los Niños.
All proceeds of this event will support the ongoing youth programs of Circo de los Niños de San Pancho.
For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit circodelosninosdesanpancho.mx.
March activities
The remaining March calendar is full of activities perfect for tourists and residents.
Swingbreak Festival (March 3-10). This adventure takes place on the beach in San Pancho. Dance teachers and international music professionals from the Swing genre will share their knowledge and joy during an entire week of dancing and celebration.
Visit their webpage at swingbreakmexico.com.
1st Riviera Nayarit Raicilla, Mescal and Artisanal Beer Festival (March 8-10). The 1st Raicilla, Mescal and Artisanal Beer Festival takes place Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10 at the Marina Nuevo Vallarta. Around 40 well-known brands of alcoholic beverages and regional food offerings will be available. This promises to be a weekend full of flavor, traditional beverages, great music and fun activities.
For more details see feramece.com.
8th National Cheerleading Event (March 15-17). The APEN Mexico All-Star National Championship will be making a return trip to Riviera Nayarit for the eighth time. About 20 teams from different Mexican states will show off their abilities in choreography, dance and acrobatics divisions.
For more details, see facebook.com/cardenasperez1.
Wesmex International Small Boat Regatta (March 21-24). The WesMex International Regatta 2019 will be held at Nuevo Vallarta’s Vallarta Yacht Club. The regatta is considered one of the five Mexican Circuit regattas by the Optimist, Laser, Windsurf, and 420 class associations. This year it will be the qualifying race for the 2019 World Optimist Championship, to be held in Antigua in July of this year.
For more information, see wesmexregatta.org.
2nd Puerto Vallarta-Bahía de Banderas Tourist Circuit (Saturday, March 30). The second edition of this Gran Fondo cycling circuit will take place with three distances, 21 km, 72 km, and 100 km, departing from Marina Vallarta. The Tourist Circuit is not a race but a family tour where anyone who has a bicycle is welcome to participate. The goal is to encourage sports and camaraderie, and to promote the natural beauty of Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit.
For more information, see rutaturisticapv.com.