The Chapala waterfront was jammed packed all day Saturday, April 30 as locals and outsiders gathered en masse for the highly touted AeroFest 2016 air show spectacle.
Local officials estimate as many as 30,000 people turned up for the occasion.
The latest happening put together under the auspices of the government’s Grandes Eventos office prompted similar degrees of criticism and congratulations from the public.
On the downside, the event provoked huge traffic jams as carloads of visitors rolled into the center of town only to confront a detour off the main intersection and the challenge of located a vacant parking spot. Roadway congestion was aggravated early in the day by the simultaneous running of the IronRanch triathlon contest.
The throng of spectators also generated tons of food and drink waste materials that left scarce disposal bins overflowing with unsightly litter.
Another bone of contention was the sluggish pace of early activity that drove many folks away well before the exciting action got underway. Due to overcast skies, pilot take-off schedules were thrown out of whack, delaying helicopter flights and plane acrobatics until 4 p.m.
Remote control flight of large scale model airplanes along a landing strip traced out on the shoreline west of the town pier was the highlight of the Noon to 3 p.m. time slot, following the kick-off by a sky diver hurtling through the air with an unfurled Mexican flag.
The Sky Eagle act featured a paraglider who sailed over the crowd before releasing the live hawk he carried along. The bird flew off to perch nervously in a palm tree for a long spell until its master coaxed it back to his forearm to take a bow.
Customers lined up to have their pictures taken aboard a helicopter that remained parked on the beach throughout the day. Dozens of party-goers lounged in the VIP zone set up on the pier, swilling cold brewskies and iced drinks to fend off the brutal midday heat and while away the hours.
Finally, as the sun began slinking towards the horizon, low-flying planes and ultralights began buzzing over the delighted on-lookers who waited it out for an hour or so of real thrills and chills.