Puerto Vallarta is a bustling town where there's always something interesting to do. There are events that come around every year, plus others that are organized on a daily basis by hotels, restaurants, art galleries and fashion houses.

JANUARY In addition to the New Year's Eve and Three Wise Men celebrations, the most anticipated moment is the coming of whales from December to April. During these months, whales become permanent residents in the bay area and there are even some companies that plan tours for visitors to take a closer look at them.

FEBRUARY 5 – Day of the Constitution, a national holiday featuring parades.

14- Day of Friendship. Mexicans observe St. Valentine's Day and the Day of Friendship.

Regattas in action. Racing sailboats swarm over Bay of Flags with emotion-packed regattas.

MARCH 21 – Benito Juarez Day. National holiday in honor of that popular President known here as “Mexico's Lincoln.”

APRIL Holy Week is the main celebration. Puerto Vallarta is full of locals and foreigners who come to observe the religious celebrations and have all the fun the town can offer. The place is usually jam-packed this time of the year.

From April 15 to May 31, special programs are organized for senior travelers with special packages and great discount prices to pay for concerts, events and tours designed for visitors over six years of age.

MAY 1 – Labor Day, a national holiday.

5 – A national holiday to commemorate the 1862 French defeat in Puebla. Parades are planned.

10 – Mother's Day, a national holiday.

1-30 – The May Parties. This is a traditional event that features a full-blown fair full of games and cattle shows, exhibits, plenty of food and drinks, and entertainment. It's done out in the open in the neighborhood of Pitillal, on the opposite side of the seaport's cruise terminal.

31 – Puerto Vallarta's Anniversary.

In addition to these well-known parties, residents celebrate the Vallarta Triathlon and the May Cultural Festival, with scores of different events and artists each year.

JUNE From June to October… Turtles Conservation Program. Puerto Vallarta is a major hatching ground for a number of protected marine turtles.

The project includes the preservation of zones for hatching sightings and educational programs. There are companies that organize nightly tours for tourists to take a closer glimpse at turtles laying eggs and to see hatchlings rush it to the sea. This project counts on the collaboration of the Puerto Vallarta Hotels & Motels Associations, the local government and federal authorities.

AUGUST Vallarta's Halfway Marathon.

SEPTEMBER Homeland Celebrations.

Mexico's Independence is observed all through September, and the climax comes on the 15th. That night, the central square is teeming with characters that take part in the traditional independence scream, led by the city Mayor. The scream comes on the heels of the lighting of the independence flame and a breathtaking fireworks show. The following day is a national holiday marked by parades that march towards the downtown area and a number of related activities. Food, music and folkloric dancing are all part of the festivities.

OCTOBER 31- Halloween. Mexico is second best to no one when it comes to disguise parties and the traditional treat-or-trick line. The point is that local disguises are sort of eerie. Several disco clubs in town offer up to $1,000 worth of sweepstakes. But the real witched night comes a few days later…

NOVEMBER November is a month full of celebrations. These are some of the most outstanding ones:

Arts Festival. Each year brings different events of the arts with a turnout of Mexican and international artists.

Annual Sailfish Fishing Tournament. The one who catches the biggest sailfish is the winner. Anglers are also prized for the biggest marlin, wahoo and dorado catches. All Saints' Day. On November 1, Mexicans pay tribute to the souls of dead boys and girls. Sugar skeletons, skulls and gifts are placed under big makeshift shrines. The City Hall organizes an exhibition of shrines in the local Cultural Center on the island in Cuale River. Restaurants, nightclubs and businesses also set up their own shrines.

2 – All Souls' Day. This is adult show time. Families organize vigils next to graves, laying flowers, food and drinks for the dead, especially tequila. Shrines are erected in most houses. Special pastries and candies are made in death-resembling shapes.

12 – Day of Guadalupe in Quimixto. In the south coast, in the beautiful beach of Quimixto, an early ceremony takes place around 10:00 am. A that time, a flotilla of fishing boats sails along the coast as women and children sing hymns for the Virgin.

20 – Revolution Day. A parade in the downtown area marks the anniversary of the 1910-1917 Revolution. Since this is a national holiday, most governmental offices, banks and several businesses close.

DECEMBER

1 - 12 – Guadalupe Processions. The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is observed on December 12 with every business, hotel, restaurant, civic and community association making its own procession to the church to hear a special Mass anointed to the Virgin. Mass hours are published and distributed.

12 – Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a major religious and social day that marks the miraculous moment when the Virgin of Guadalupe showed up before the stunning eyes of a Mexican peasant. That's also the anniversary of the foundation of Puerto Vallarta by Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres in 1851. On that day, Don Sanchez Torres came with his family and a few friends to settle down by the bank of Cuale River, calling that area the Rocks of Santa Maria de Guadalupe.

16-24 - Christmas. All across Mexico, families, businesses and communities celebrate the so-called “inn parties.” That tradition is rooted in the episode that narrates the search of inn or lodging by Jose and Maria in Bethlehem. Visitors reach a previously appointed flophouse, holding candles in their hands and asking for a room in a crooning voice. The innkeeper will turn them down several times before finally opening up the door and letting them in, a signal that the party has just begun. The traditional Christmas festivity consists of a family reunion and dinner on Christmas' Eve, followed by a midnight Mass.

Christmas is observed on the 25th and New Year's Eve on the 31st.