Householders from Ajijic’s west-end Barrio de Guadalupe will get 2013 off to a rip-roaring start with an offbeat New Year’s Day parade that’s bound to rouse high spirits as it generates bonds and friendship in the community.
The parade’s main feature is the string of whimsical floats put together by different contingencies of families and friends, each vying to wow spectators with the most creative hand-crafted decorative details, silly costumes and wild antics. Rival groups meet secretly for weeks in advance to dream up and execute surprise themes.
The custom goes back more than a decade, when clans residing on Calle Francisco Villa and Calle Alvaro Obregon first cooked up the idea of ushering in the new year with a light-hearted challenge aimed at dispelling every day neighborhood antagonisms.
Over the years the concept of the Año Nuevo celebration has expanded to involve any and everyone keen to get in on the fun. Folks from other quarters, including a growing number of local expats, show up as they fancy. Many appear armed with props, dolled up in outlandish outfits or riding in cars and golf carts draped with bright adornments. There are no set rules, just a common understanding that the ridiculous and even a touch of the risqué will get by without reproach.
The paraders line up at Seis Esquinas, where Alvaro Obregon intersects with Ocampo, for a starting time loosely set at 12:30 p.m. The column heads east along Ocampo, snaking through the center of town and past the plaza before looping back to the starting point via Hidalgo. Finally, the jolly crowd heads to the waterfront to take a final spin around the Tecoluta sports field. The light-hearted party atmosphere prevails throughout the rest of the day as amateur soccer players team up for a series of friendly matches.