What's on in Puerto Vallarta (Vallarta), Mexico through the year

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Humpback season (8 Dec – 23 Mar)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Humpback season (8 Dec – 23 Mar)

Busy — Semana Santa, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Semana Santa

  20 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  The busiest domestic week of the year, when Guadalajara empties onto this coast. Hotel Zone traffic stops moving and the beaches south of town are shoulder to shoulder. Source ↗

Still on: Humpback season (8 Dec – 23 Mar)

Busy — Semana Santa

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Semana Santa (20 Mar – 20 Apr (usually))

Busy — Vallarta Pride

• Hazard

  Pacific hurricane season

  15 May – 30 Nov

  The eastern Pacific season runs mid-May to the end of November. The bay is deep and sheltered by the Sierra, so most systems here mean two wet days rather than an evacuation. Source ↗

• Festival

  Vallarta Pride

  20–31 May · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  A week of events ending in a parade down the Malecon in late May, in a town that has been the country's gay resort for decades. Zona Romantica books out well ahead of it. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Rainy season

  15 Jun – 15 OctMonsoon

  Bright mornings, a heavy storm most evenings, and the jungle behind the town green for the only time in the year. Rates drop by half and some restaurants close through September.

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov), Rainy season (15 Jun – 15 Oct)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov), Rainy season (15 Jun – 15 Oct)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov), Rainy season (15 Jun – 15 Oct)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov), Rainy season (15 Jun – 15 Oct)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Festival

  Festival Gourmet International

  12–22 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  Ten days in mid-November when visiting chefs cook in the town's own kitchens rather than at a fairground. Tables at the better restaurants go weeks ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Pacific hurricane season (15 May – 30 Nov)

Busy — Guadalupe processions, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Guadalupe processions

  1–12 DecMajor festivalCrowded

  Twelve nights of neighbourhood and workplace processions up Juarez to the crowned church, with fireworks and a band each time. The centre is closed to cars most of those evenings. Source ↗

• Nature

  Humpback season

  8 Dec – 23 MarWhale season

  The permitted watching season in Banderas Bay runs 8 December to 23 March, a few hundred humpbacks calving in the deepest bay in the country. January and February are the noisy weeks. Source ↗