The 1st Puerto Vallarta Pre-hispanic Festival, November 15, 2009. On the Malecón.

The Fiesta Patrias is Puerto Vallarta’s greatest patriotic holiday event. There are two parades and many, many civic events climaxing with the GRITO and the following all-night street party on September 15 and the Parade on September 16.

September 6

• 7 pm – Coronation of the Queen of Fiestas Patrias 2009, Presidencia Municipal City Hall, Free Entry

September 7

• 7 pm – Second Municipal Forum of Independence, CECATUR Auditorium. An Encounter with the history of Mexico’s independence, myths and realities, truths or lies, anecdotes, to be awarded to an audience interested in this part of our history.

September 12

• 9 pm – Coronation of the Queen of the Fiestas Patrias in Las Palmas
• 11:30 pm – Coronation of Queen of the Fiestas Patrias de Ixtapa

September 13

• 9 am – civic ceremony to honor the Boy Heroes of Chapultepec. Roll call, wreath and honor guard in the main square of Pitillal.
• 9 pm – Coronation of Queen of the Fiestas Patrias of Las Juntas.
• 11 pm – Coronation of Queen of the Fiestas Patrias, Pitillal.

September 14
Día Nacional de la Charrería

• 11 am – Traditional CHARRO (cowboy) PARADE of la Unión de Asociaciones de Charros de Puerto Vallarta beginning at the Plaza Lázaro Cárdenas, Av. Ignacio L Vallarta, on Paseo Días Ordáz, Av. México, and continuing to Pitillal.
• 1 pm – PARADE through the main street of Pitillal.

September 15
XCIX Anniversary of the Independence of Mexico

• 8 am – CEREMONY: the flag is hoisted by members of the 8th. Zona Naval, Plaza de la Bandera, (entrance to the U. Sports Agustín Flores Contreras).
• 12 pm – CLV Anniversary of Mexican National Anthem. ¡Gran fiesta de México! Celebration of the first time that the national anthem was sung, the second most beautiful in the world. Participating will be students at all grade levels, civil authorities, naval and military, and private initiative, tourists, city employees and the general public.



• TRADITIONAL GAMES
• 6:15 pm – CARRERA DE MESEROS. Free participation, a RACE of all ages and genders. From the Cabalito sculpture to los Arcos del Malecón.
• 6:30 pm – CARRERA DE ENCOSTALADOS (sack race). Free participation, a RACE of all ages and genders. From the Cabalito sculpture to los Arcos del Malecón.
• 7 pm – PALO ENCEBADO. (The greased pole climb) Open to high school students only, on the beach at the Malecón.

Entries must be made at the time and place of the event.

• 7:30 pm – ¡GRAN NOCHE MEXICANA! The Queen of the Fiestas Patrias Vallarta 2009 and her court are presented to the people of Vallarta, along with a great FIESTA with CANCION RANCHERA and the XIUTLA FOLKLORICO BALLET
• 10:45 pm – FLAG CEREMONY of the Municipal President: Francisco Javier Bravo Carbajal, receives the national flag, with which to perform the ceremony of the Grito of Independence, from members of the Mexican Army.
• 10:55 pm – SPEECH OF INDEPENDENCE. José Emigdio Hurtado Rolon, Srio. General del H. Ayuntamiento, reads before the people of Vallarta the Arenga de Hidalgo and the Acta de Independencia, from the balcony of City Hall.
• 11 pm – Traditional Ceremony of the GRITO DE INDEPENDENCIA. From the main balcony of City Hall, Francisco Javier Bravo Carbajal, Mayor of Puerto Vallarta, performs the traditional ceremony of the GRITO, Cry of Independence.
• 11:30 pm – CASTILLOS and FIREWORKS at Los Arcos on the Malecón.
• 11:35 pm – the GRAN BAILE POPULAR. Grand public DANCE on the Malecón and in the main square.

September 16
CXCIX Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence
NATIONAL HOLIDAY

• 10 am – TRADITIONAL CIVIC AND MILITARY PARADE, through the main streets of Puerto Vallarta, starting in the Plaza Lázaro Cárdenas and ending to the north of town at Leys Mercado
• 7 pm – FIESTA MEXICANA at Los Arcos amphitheater with Mariachis, singers and Xiutla folkloric Ballet.

The PVScene went to the fireworks show at the baseball stadium Monday night, April 20, for the opening of the Puerto Vallarta International Fireworks Symposium. We had planned to hit, also, the Malecón show that was to follow this one, but got side railed at a small bar half a block away from the stadium. Photos will soon follow (of the fireworks).

This show was primarily castillos, with, probably, two dozen of them set up, at first looking like a field of makeshift oil derricks jammed together, made of driftwood and detritus by some hallucinating rough necks the day after. The newspapers all said that the show was to start at 8 pm, but, as an on stage announcer said, “We’ll start when it’s dark.” And that’s when it started.

For those who don’t know, castillos are very large constructions with spinning, spouting, spewing fountains of fire, most of which end, not with a whimper but with a small spinning projectile taking off into space from the top spire. Three of these burning wheels went into the audience this night, something of a record, I would imagine. Very exciting and everyone (except possibly the people hit by them) laughed and applauded as people panicked and scrambled when the fire fell from the skies onto the crowded field.

I started out watching the show sitting on second base of the baseball diamond, which was about as close, legally, as you could get to the action. Most people were behind me on the field or in the bleachers at what seemed like miles away, too far for me, far enough to be safe, for sure, and far enough not to smell the gunpowder burning.

I broke the bombero, police fence line separating the audience from the performers and went inside the launch area for a better view. Sparks, noise, smell, the excitement of exploding, flashing fire greeted me. About 100 other pyros also broke lines at around the same time and we stood there in awe, blinded by the sparks and smoke. In Mexico, this is ok. Intense experience trumps presumed and dictated safety.

NEWS VIDEO “EXPOSING” THE DANGER (no one was hurt)
[youtube nWO3Yhp5xQo]

The castillos, themselves, ranged in quality from the totally hokey with a few pinwheels to machinations that made you wonder at the mad genius that created them. I loved the 20 foot tall multi-colored Jesus Crucifixion with green 1 meter long crosses dangling from a circling contraption above his head. And I especially loved the 30 meter tall castillo that had four rockets attached to long arms that rotated around assorted patriotic words in lights and images of Mickey Mouse and camels and elephants and other exotic creatures and finished by randomly firing the rockets hundreds of feet into the air, with one rocket hitting the viewing stands, one landing in a tree and setting it afire and two others heading off into the unknown.

When the castillos were finished, a moderate aerial show took place that was nothing special, but fun. I think the big aerial show of the night was to be at the Malecon, but, as I said, we got side railed and this side railing is worthy of a story on its own, later.

SLIDESHOW: