 Rich in culture and steeped in tradition, Puerto Vallarta conserves all of the charm and character of a small Mexican fishing village and is home to numerous cultural festivals from music, theater and film to culinary arts, traditional indigenous cultures, as well as sports tournaments including championship golf, game fishing and nautical regattas. The Puerto Vallarta Visitors and Conventions Bureau is pleased to announce the calendar of events for 2008 that includes a special event that’s sure to appeal to every traveler, every season of the year.
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2008 Qualifier
From April 17-20, 2008, Puerto Vallarta will host, for the very first time, the Qualifier Games for the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, and Caribbean) of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2008. FIFA is the world’s International Soccer Federation. The national beach soccer teams of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and the USA will be participating in the tournament that will be held at the Agustin Flores Contreras Sports Complex in Puerto Vallarta’s hotel zone. The qualifying teams will go on to play the world cup to be held in Marseille, France. The government of the State of Jalisco and the Fideicomiso de Turismo de Puerto Vallarta have contributed $150,000 USD to support this event, with the goal of positioning Puerto Vallarta as a sports tourism destination.
Puerto Vallarta Arte Contemporaneo 2008
Puerto Vallarta’s First Annual Contemporary Art Festival will take place May 28-June 1, 2008. Twenty-one artists, eight panelists and three art galleries will be participating in this year’s inaugural festival, Extended Borders: Shifting Cartographies that will promote a dialogue between Mexican artists and Los Angeles-based artists on globalization, the idea of extended borders, and hybrid identities. The festival will transform Puerto Vallarta into a showcase for vanguard art created by Mexican and international artists whose, work has been exhibited in prestigious museums in the USA and Mexico and at influential art events including the Whitney Biennial. Art aficionados and collectors will be able to see exhibits, public art projects such as videos and installation art along the town’s famed Malecón, and participate in discussion panels. www.pvartecontemporaneo.com
Meeting Place México 2008
Meeting Place México, the specialized trade fair for the meetings, conventions, and incentives industry will be held in Puerto Vallarta from June 1 – 3, 2008. Over 100 exhibitors including airlines, hotels, tour operators, incentives houses, etc. will be offering their products and services and 150 potential buyers have been invited to attend. Meeting Place Mexico will showcase the best that Puerto Vallarta has to offer in terms of services, infrastructure and services for corporate meetings and conventions to Mexican and international buyers. Meetings and incentive planners as well as decision makers and heads of international business associations will attend the trade show. Meeting Place Mexico is organized by Mundo Editorial, publishers of Convenciones magazine and Avanti Meetings and Incentives and is sponsored by the Fideicomiso de Turismo de Puerto Vallarta, the Secretary of Tourism of the State of Jalisco, and the Mexico Tourism Board.
14th International Gourmet Festival
From November 13-23, 2008 Puerto Vallarta, home to some of Mexico’s best gastronomy, will host the 14th International Gourmet Festival. Puerto Vallarta’s natural beauty is a source of inspiration for chefs from Mexico and around the world who create an exciting amalgam of flavors that blend traditional Mexican ingredients with contemporary tastes from around the globe. Food aficionados can delight in the wide array of dining alternatives from family-run taco stands to internationally acclaimed restaurants some of which also impress with their avant-garde designs and many of them Five Star Diamond Award recipients from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. In November of every year, Puerto Vallarta reigns as Mexico’s capital of culinary arts with the annual International Gourmet Festival. This year’s edition will host over 20 guest chefs and offer seven chef’s tables featuring specially created menus with wine pairings, the legendary Festival Gourmet brunch, wine and cheese tastings, wine and chocolate pairings, and the Gourmet Corrida Theater where celebrity chefs will showcase their skills and charity events, among other options. Additional information on the Festival and complete program of events available at www.festivalgourmet.com
Vallarta Golf Cup
The seventh edition of the Vallarta Golf Cup will take place from October 31 to November 1, 2008 in some of Vallarta’s finest and most challenging golf courses. Each participating team will be composed of one golf professional and three amateur players. Professional players will compete on a 36-hole medal play and gross and net contests will take place between teams. The Vallarta Golf Cup is the destination’s flagship tournament. Once again, Puerto Vallarta will host golfers from Mexico, the USA, Canada and Latin America in a competition that allows professionals and amateurs to come together and showcase and improve their skills. www.vallartagolf.com
53rd. International Fishing Tournament
The 53rd Annual Sailfish and Marlin Tournament organized by the Club de Pesca de Puerto Vallarta (Puerto Vallarta Fishing Club) will be held from November 12 – 15, 2008. A Puerto Vallarta tradition for over 50 years and one of the most traditional fishing tournaments in Mexico, the Sailfish and Marlin Tournament brings together the most passionate group of fishermen for three exciting days of fishing in some of Mexico’s finest waters. Prizes this year will exceed $300,000 USD and will be divided amongst the following categories: Sailfish, Marlin, Tuna, and Dorado. Moreover, Fishing One - a special MX 150,000 pesos prize (about $14,200 USD) – will be offered for breaking the record of the heaviest sailfish at 155.65 pounds as well as the heaviest marlin at 710.55 pounds. www.fishvallarta.com
Puerto Vallarta 2008 International Half Marathon
The 6th edition of the Puerto Vallarta International Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, November 2nd, 2008. Mexican and international athletes can sign up to participate in the 13-mile run that will begin at 6:50 a.m. A separate 3-mile race will also be held beginning at 7 a.m. The race will begin and end at the city’s Agustin Flores Contreras Sports Complex and the route will take runners northward along Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio. The turning point is set at the height of the Holiday Inn Hotel for those participating in the 3-mile run and at Crucero de las Juntas for those partaking in the 13-mile run. Participants will be able to enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery along the route. An estimated 1,600 runners from all over Mexico, the USA, Canada and Kenya are expected to participate with about 15,000 spectators cheering them on. The race’s rules and regulations are set by the Mexican Athletic Federation. Interested parties can obtain additional information by visiting www.maratonvallarta.com
PV Pro-Online Travel Agent Specialist Program
The PV Pro Specialist Program, an interactive on-line program offering travel agents information and tips on the destination coupled with perks, incentives and ongoing support to help them sell travel to Puerto Vallarta was launched in April 2007 in the USA and Canada. A total of 834 travel agents have already graduated from the PV Pro program and 2,900 agents are currently enrolled. Graduates will have the opportunity to participate in themed familiarization trips to Puerto Vallarta including adventure, romance, golf and spa, art, culture and traditions, scheduled for May, June, September, and October 2008. Each familiarization trip will include site inspections, special themed activities, seminars, culinary experiences, and more. In May 2008, the PV Pro program will be launched for travel agents in Mexico. Additional information on the program is available at www.pv-pro.com
11th International Symposium of Fireworks Puerto Vallarta, México 2009
This series of symposiums have become the main meeting point for the world’s pyrotechnics industry and, for the first time, Puerto Vallarta will host this extravaganza April 20-24, 2009. The Symposium of Fireworks serves as a main meeting point for pyrotechnics industry members from various disciplines and specialties where they showcase the latest technologies as well as exchange industry experiences and ideas. Various product demonstrations and shows will be organized during the event including traditional fireworks displays evoking Mexican fiestas and folklore presented by Mexican fireworks companies from the states of Mexico, Jalisco, Tlaxcala, etc. Musical fireworks shows will also be displayed as well as product demonstrations from international companies. Puerto Vallarta will no doubt be a dazzling fiesta full of bright lights and colors.
16th Pan American Games 2011
The Pan American Games, held every four years, provide a harmonious environment for athletes from 42 nations from all over the Americas to compete in multidisciplinary sports. The first Pan American Games were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951. Guadalajara, Jalisco will be the host city of the 2011 Pan American Games and Puerto Vallarta is honored to co-host the following sports: sailing, open water marathon and triathlon in addition to some beach volleyball competitions. Additional information available at: www.guadalajara2011.org.mx
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