Puerto Vallarta Pride 10th Anniversary celebrated in 2023

Vallarta Pride 10th Anniversary. Puerto Vallarta had been a well established gay vacation destination since The Night Of The Iquana put PV on the map. The warm sunny beach weather and amazing gay-friendly Mexican culture that evolved inside a small fishing village became the home of many gay owned bars, clubs, restaurants, cabaret shows and businesses.

In the 2000’s tourists and vacationers began staying longer periods of time and visited more frequently and began buying condos and living in Puerto Vallarta full time. Puerto Vallarta had everything major LGBTQ+ travel destinations did, except one thing, an official gay pride event. There was no recognized pride event to celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community that made it all happen. Several business owners decided it was time to make it happen and in late 2012 and early 2013 they began meeting to plan the first Puerto Vallarta gay pride.

The original organizing committee was Bill Hevener BuenFlex Clothing, Oscar Moran Villa Mercedes Petit Hotel, Daniel Gomez Mijo Brands, Tim Wilson GAYPV Magazine, and Roger Dubois Tropicasa Realty. Armando Sanchez Palmera Vacations, Gaby Escandon at Komunikas, George Dowse Stonewall Bar, Ed Thomas of SETAC, Blaire Osborne, Alfonso Davalos, Edgar Sanchez, Alain Chalut, Carlos de Niz (Karla Fifi) and Tom Luis Bar Frida also assisted the organizing efforts. The first Puerto Vallarta gay pride weekend was held May 24-26, 2013 and hence Vallarta Pride 10th Anniversary is 2023.

Casa Cupula LGBTQ hotel hosted the first event for Vallarta Pride 2013 featuring local drag star Diva Divine and a show by Broadway Bares/Equity Fights AIDS. Other events included a Saturday same-sex commitment ceremony at Sapphire Beach Club and fashion show at Blue Chairs followed by Sunday pride parade and block party in Lazaro Cardenas park.

Why was May chosen? Organizers wanted to extend the busy travel season in Puerto Vallarta which for many years began to end after Semana Santa. So pride should be after April. May was the decision because the weather is still great and the summer rains have not started. Also, the first committee recognized PV should not compete with the other 2 Mexican gay destinations that had their well established pride events in June namely Mexico City and Guadalajara.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Puerto Vallarta gay pride exploded further in attendance and fame as many travelers discovered the city for the first time. Additionally the closing of the streets on Lazaro Cardenas created the block party only further added to its popularity. The block party drew many thousands of international and national travelers with tourism officals estimating the 50% to 60% of the attendees to Vallarta Pride are international.

In 2024 several changes to the Vallarta Pride schedule were announced. The Vallarta Pride parade had been on Thursday for the last several years was moved to Saturday. There would be no closing Lazaro Cardenas Street or a street block party after the Pride Parade. The main center of attention would be Lazaro Cardenas Park in a 3 day festival with more vendors that just the usual gay bars previously present in the block party. Instead of the block party after the parade on Thursday, the pride committee has arranged for a beach party on the beach near Lazaro Cardenas park at Daiquiri Dicks.

Puerto Vallarta GAY Pride week is traditionally the week prior to and ends on US Memorial Day. Puerto Vallarta’s pride is internationally recognized as one of the top pride events in the world and in 2016 it received the largest number of media and journalists attending any Puerto Vallarta event in history.

Vallarta Pride has 10th Anniversary in 2023 so check the current schedule for Vallarta Pride 2023 at GAYPV events.  Photos by GAYPV Magazine, Christian Serrano and Puerto Vallarta GAY BAR TOUR.