Chili Cook-off
The eighth annual Puerto Vallarta Chili Cook-Off is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at Parque Parota (in front of Hotel Puerto de Luna and across the street from the Fiesta Americana Hotel).
Tickets at the gate cost 300 pesos and start at noon.
The Chili Cook-Off is the main fundraising tool for the Jay Sadler Project.
Youth orchestra
The Purepecha Youth Orchestra “Kuerajperi” from Cheran, Michoacan will perform at the Teatro Vallarta Friday, March 6, 7 p.m.
This project began in 2012 with 20 children and now has 180 young participants. The orchestra is directed by Mario Mejía Martínez, a Purepecha composer who in addition to developing young talent, focuses on safeguarding regional music, such as pirekuas, sones and abajeños.
The orchestra first performed in Puerto Vallarta three years ago, to great acclaim.
The performance will also contain a short talk about the way of life in Cheran. Artwork from the town will also be on display on the theater’s lobby.
Tickets cost 250 pesos for adults and 125 pesos for children. All the proceeds will benefit the orchestra program.
Teatro Vallarta is located at Uruguay 184, Colonia Cinco de Diciembre. For more information, call 322-229-1801.
Riverfest
The ninth Riverfest Music Festival will take place Saturday, February 29, and Sunday, March 1, at El Rio BBQ on the River Cuale. The event is a benefit for Pasitos de Luz, a non-profit charity that provides care for Vallarta area children with disabilities.
Local musicians slated to perform on Saturday, starting at noon, are Gilberto Luna, Bob Tansen, Bad Habits, Make It Funky, Soul Trip and Los Bambinos. The final band of the day, Sylvie and The Zippers, takes the stage at around 5:45 p.m.
Sunday’s line-up, from 12:30 p.m., features the Mariachi Real de Jorullo, Tongo & Joby, Cheko Ruiz & Friends, Johanna’s Band and Media Luna.
Dancing is encouraged.
There are various ticket options available. On Saturday, the least costly method is to pay 100 pesos at the door, find available seating and buy food and drinks from the menu. Tickets for 900 pesos include reserved seating, a free drink, appetizers, buffet and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks. Alternatively, one can purchase a table for eight for 6,600 pesos. On Sunday, the 100-peso option is also available, along with a 2,500-peso table for four with a barbecue and free margarita or beer. For advance tickets, 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..
The Riverfest will also have a silent auction, 50/50 raffles and an artisan market.
For more information, call El Rio BBQ at 322-222-2510. To learn about Pasitos de Luz, go to PasitosDeLuz.org.
Welcome Center & mall
Puerto Vallarta’s port has undergone a major makeover with the completion of the new Puerto Mágico terminal.
On his most recent visit to Vallarta, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro inaugurated the new “Los Alambiques” cruise passenger welcome center, which is attached to the new “Hacienda Tequilera” shopping mall.
The welcome center, which also houses new customs and immigration offices and duty-free shop, should be fully open to cruise passengers in May.
When fully occupied, the new commercial center will be home to around 75 outlets, including restaurants, boutiques, jewelry and crafts stores, as well as a tequila and chocolate museum. There is also a entertainment space for cultural performances.
A major difference between this mall and other port facilities of this kind around the world is that locals and visitors to Puerto Vallarta via air or land will also have access.
The $US16 million facility is expected to create more than 800 jobs, local authorities say.
Hearts
The itinerant exhibition “De Corazón para el Mundo”(From the Heart to the World), promoting Jalisco’s eight Magic Towns (Pueblos Magicos), has been erected on the Malecon, where it will remain until the end of March.
The display features 29 works, all shaped as a heart and painted decoratively by artists from around the state. Eight of the artists are from Jalisco’s Magic Towns, while nine are from the Guadalajara metro suburb of Tlaquepaque, which is also a pueblo magico. For this show, 12 Puerto Vallarta artists were given hearts to decorate however they chose.
The traveling exhibit is sponsored by the the Jalisco Tourism Department. The local display has the backing of the Vallarta municipal government and the Centro Universitario de la Costa.