A Year of Sun, Saints, and Sequins in Puerto Vallarta

Let’s be honest, shall we? Most visitors come to Puerto Vallarta for the sunshine, the margaritas, and maybe a light flirtation with early retirement. Maybe you arrive thinking you’ll just take it easy. You’ll eat some tacos, work on your tan, and Google “how much is rent in paradise?” on the third day.

But stay long enough, even just a little longer than planned, and you’ll realize there’s something much better than perfect beach days. Fiestas!

Big ones, small ones, religious ones, wild ones, confusingly themed ones. This city doesn’t just throw parties, it launches full-blown cultural fireworks with dancing, music, sacred processions, flying candy, and the occasional man in a feathered headdress dancing with a machete.

So, if you’re wondering when to visit Puerto Vallarta to catch the magic, I say, buckle up. Because you’re about to get a crash course in some of the city’s bigger festive calendar moments, complete with confetti, dancing abuelas, paper mâché, and a few tequila-fueled life decisions you’ll either cherish forever or never quite remember.

The year kicks off with the kind of optimism only a fresh calendar and a beach sunrise can provide. January is prime time for snowbirds, sun-seekers, and that sweet post-holiday glow where everyone’s still pretending their resolutions are going to stick.

You’ll likely stumble into a few local events while insisting your third margarita is “just hydrating.”

Fireworks burst over the bay on New Year’s Eve like the sky’s throwing its own paint and sip. Live bands play along the Malecón, couples steal kisses under palm trees, and even the most sunburned tourist gets caught up in the moment. It’s loud, joyful, and soaked in all the good vibes.

Traditionally a religious celebration, Dia de Los Reyes (the Festival of the Three Kings or Epiphany) falls on January 6, and it’s relatively low-key. Unless you’re a bakery, that is! They go wild with Rosca de Reyes. It’s a circular sweet bread akin to a King Cake with the tiny plastic baby Jesus inside, but filled with dried fruit instead of sugary creams. Whoever finds Baby Jesus gets bragging rights, and also the responsibility of hosting the next tamale party. Bite carefully. Or don’t. It’s not a real party until someone almost swallows a saint.

February in Puerto Vallarta is like someone dumped a bag of glitter over the city and told everyone to start voguing. It’s peak season for tourists, romantics, and the LGBTQ+ community, which makes for a wildly colourful, inclusive, and joy-filled month.

Carnaval isn’t quite Rio or New Orleans proportions, but it does have feathers, sequins, body paint, and enough rhythm to make your hips move while not lying. Parades glide along the Malecón, samba dancers dazzle crowds, and somewhere in the mix is always a confused tourist trying to join in while wearing Crocs and cargo shorts. We love them anyway.

Although not a fiesta per se, El Día del Amor y la Amistad, or Valentine’s Day in Puerto Vallarta is pretty special, as it’s a celebration not just of romantic love, but the love that binds friendship as well. Whether you’re traveling with your soulmate, or you met someone yesterday over tacos, love and friendship are in the salty sea air. Expect a noticeable uptick in sunset proposal attempts. Most say yes, though I think the view should get at least half the credit. It makes it pretty hard to say no!

Spring in Puerto Vallarta is a study in contrasts. There’s deep religious devotion alongside college kids on Spring Break yelling “woooo, party” into the ocean. You’d think the two wouldn’t meld very well, but surprisingly, it works.

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is one of the most sacred weeks in Mexico. Churches overflow, candlelit processions wind through the streets, and local families gather for reflection. The city swells with visitors. Some are there for the faith, while some are just following the crowd. But they’re all mingling together like rice and beans on the same plate.

Spring Break falls anywhere from mid-March to early April, and if you thought you left frat parties behind when you landed, think again. The beaches come alive with DJs, beer bongs, body shots, and questionable fashion choices. Looking for a peaceful yoga retreat? Try again in May.

After the wild energy of early spring, May feels like the city takes a deep, centering breath. It’s calmer, more local, and arguably the most authentic time to visit.

There’s the Festival Cultural de Mayo, the May Cultural Festival. It’s an understated but charming celebration of the arts. Think open-air concerts, theater performances, dance, and art installations that make you stroke your chin and say things like, “Interesting use of texture.”

Día del Trabajo, or Labor Day, on May 1 sees local workers and unions take to the streets in colourful parades. It’s not a party in the tequila-slinging sense, but more a moment of pride and respect for the working people who keep Vallarta running.

June marks the technical start of the rainy season, although Ma Nature makes her own mind up on that. But it does rain. A lot. It’s also when the jungle around Puerto Vallarta gets lush, vibrant, and a little bit seductive. i mean, you haven’t truly experienced romance until you’ve listened to raindrops tapping the rooftop of your casita at 3 AM while eating a mango with your hands.

If Puerto Vallarta is Mexico’s LGBTQ+ capital, then Pride is its shining crown. Pride is celebrated in late May and early June, and it brings parades, beach parties, drag queens in six-inch heels somehow walking cobblestones better than I can in flip flops, and more shirtless men than you can count. Come as you are, or come as a sequined version of whoever you want to be.

In July and August, we don’t go outside unless we have to. That’s not entirely true, as life (and the occasional errand) goes on and all that. Even when the city is hot, humid, and not particularly festive.

The Feast of Our Lady of Refuge is on July 4. While Americans are posting in expat groups asking, “Where’s the 4th of July party at?” (please stop that, as you will be side-eyed), Puerto Vallarta is quietly celebrating a religious feast with fireworks, family meals, and church gatherings.

August? Mostly more rain, mosquitos, and great hotel deals. If you like lush, green scenery and zero lines at taco stands, you’ll find your bliss.

September is all about Mexican pride. Patriotism, fireworks, mariachi music at 8 AM, and poeple shouting “¡Viva México!” from the depths of their very souls as Mexico celebrates Día de la Independencia, Independence Day.

This is not Cinco de Mayo. Let’s repeat that altogether, “this is NOT Cinco de Mayo. This is the real one. The big one. The glorious “Grito de Dolores” is reenacted in the main square, followed by parades, musical performances, fireworks, and a sea of green, white, and red. Grab some elote and dive in.

Día Nacional del Charro, National Charro Day, on September 14 is a personal favourite, as do so love a cowboy! Think bedazzled outfits, cowboys, parades, horses, cowboys, tamales, cowboys, tight jeans, cowboys. Enough said.

As fall settles in, the air gets cooler, and the energy shifts to something sacred and beautiful.

Forget Halloween, Día de Muertos is something else entirely. The first main celebration day is November 1, Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels), followed by November 2 bringing Día de los Difuntos (All Souls Day). But beginning on October 27, you’ll find days specific to honouring pets, people who died in accidents, and those gone unexpectedly.

All around the city you’ll see ofrendas (altars) with candles, marigolds, sugar skulls, and the favourite snacks of departed loved ones. Parades with painted faces and live music turn the streets into a moving tribute to life, death, and memory. It’s both haunting and heartwarming.

The year ends with warmth, both emotionally and literally, as December is one long celebration of family, faith, and food.

Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe, Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe takes place in December 12, but you’ll see a few solid weeks of pre-celebrations. It’s the biggest religious event in town, alive with pilgrimages, processions, indigenous dances, and an outpouring of devotion filling the city with music and movement. Many make their way to the central church, carrying candles, singing hymns, and reaffirming a shared sense of identity, history, and hope. Even if you don’t consider yourself religious, it’s hard not to feel moved watching generations walk side by side, barefoot or in heels, honoring something bigger than themselves.

In Mexico, Navidad, Christmas, is a family affair. Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, is when the big celebration happens, not December 25. It’s all about togetherness, tamales, laughter, and enough pozole to feed a small army. Expect fireworks, music, children cracking piñatas, and a surprising number of abuelas up past midnight sipping ponche like it’s nothing.

And yes, December ends where it all began, with another round of fireworks, music, dancing, and a collective countdown on the Malecón under the stars. New Year’s Eve once again brings the cycle full circle.

So, when should you visit Puerto Vallarta?

Well, if you’re here for tradition and culture, then November through February gives you Día de Muertos, Christmas, and religious festivals that’ll warm your heart.

If you’re here to party, hit up Carvaval in February, Pride in late May/June, or Independence Day in September. Remember to hydrate. Oh, and bring glitter!

If you’re here to relax and avoid the crowds, then try May or October. These shoulder seasons see fewer tourists, better prices, and surprisingly rich local life.

And if you’re just here to just be, then any time is a good time. Even August, when it’s just you, your sweat, and the occasional dramatic thunderstorm for ambiance.

Because here’s the truth, there is no wrong time to visit Puerto Vallarta.

Even the quiet months are full of charm. You’ll find a slower rhythm, more space at your favorite taco stand, and the sweet, slow hum of a city that never really sleeps. It just may be napping between fiestas.

And if you do find yourself accidentally caught up in a parade? Smile, dance a little, and grab a tamale from someone’s tia on the sidewalk. Because that? That unexpected, joyful, and totally unscripted feeling? That’s the real Puerto Vallarta magic.

Nos vemos en la próxima fiesta!