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Category Archives: New and Happenings
Spencer Day in Puerto Vallarta
Acclaimed pop/jazz singer/songwriter Spencer Day will be performing at The Palms in Vallarta A LOT in the coming weeks!
Check 2014/2015 dates and tickets!
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Spencer Day returns to his musical roots with his fifth full-length album Daybreak, and his first independent album in seven years. His past two albums were released on the legendary Concord/Jazz label. With Daybreak, Spencer has created an album of signature interpretations of well-loved songs from the 1960’s along with five brand-new compositions written in homage of these classic American tunes.
Puerto Vallarta Gay Pride May 22-26, 2014
“Orgullo Vallarta Pride” is a new annual event
celebrated in May in Puerto Vallarta. It
was launched in 2013 to celebrate the diverse LGBT community that both lives in
and visits Puerto Vallarta, and that over the years has positively influenced
and formed part of its culture, heritage and history.
The LGBT event “Vallarta Pride” will take place this year on
the weekend of May 22 to 26, 2014. Previously it was a 2-day celebration and
will now be expanding into a week-long cultural celebration. Celebrate Puerto
Vallarta and its international population with
music festivals, beach parties, fashion shows, parade, and activities in
participating bars and clubs. Puerto Vallarta is the number one Mexican travel
destination for LGBT tourists.
Puerto Vallarta offers an LGBT inclusive atmosphere in the
Romantic Zone area, in the heart of downtown, which is home to many businesses
that are LGBT-owned and/or target the consumer, including beaches, tours,
activities and restaurants bars and clubs to choose from. LGBT travelers have
the option of choosing from gay friendly resorts, hotels, lodges, bed and
breakfasts and guest houses. One of my favorites is Hotel Mercurio. Nuevo
Vallarta is 20-30 minutes further north and that is where you find the sterile big
chain resorts and this is where the cruise ships dock. I highly suggest you
stay in Romantic Zone to get the true feeling of Mexico and skip the big chain
resorts.
In the Fall of 2013 the state of Jalisco, where Puerto
Vallarta is located, approved a civil union law that allows couples co-habiting
to register their union with the state and allowing for certain rights,
including that of inheritance, property ownership, and medical rights among
others. Puerto Vallarta provides a perfect backdrop for a wedding and a
honeymoon all in one. During the week of pride events there will be a mass
commitment ceremony.
Updates will be posted on their facebook page as the
schedule is announced.
Grand Opening at Di Vino Dante November 22nd!
GRAND OPENING!
Friday, November 22nd
Basilio Badillo 269 A
50% off wine by the glass and tapas 5-7pm
and
20% off wine by the glass and tapas 7-11pm
Hours:
Email: info.divinodante@gmail.
Phone: (322) 223.3734
only accepting cash or
American Express.
Fun Parties at Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Mercurio!
Puerto Vallarta Lifeguard FireFighter Calendar for 2014
Puerto Vallarta Lifeguards and Firefighters are turning up the heat
by releasing a 2014 calendar that will be instrumental in raising funds
for their projects. The calendar was launched at a private party with
live entertainment, raffles and more. Several calendar ‘models’ were in
hand as a token of gratitude for all the efforts to make their programs
possible.
“This event serves as a reminder of the enormous risks taken by
emergency responders on a daily basis” remarked Elroy Quenroe who
graciously donated his winnings back from the 50/50 raffle “We are
grateful for your life-saving efforts and public service to all of us in
Puerto Vallarta and throughout Banderas Bay.” Carol Clarke was one
of the first to purchase the $200 peso 14-month calendars, adding “First
responders are the unsung heroes who respond day and night to life
threatening situations without hesitation or delay and deserve tonight’s
recognition.”
Calendars are available for purchase at Salud Super Food, PVRPV.com
office and Deja New Consignment in Emiliano Zapata; and The Coffee Cup
and Alexander A Salon in Marina Vallarta. Calendars cost $200 pesos
each, with 100% of the proceeds for the Puerto Vallarta Fire
Department’s training and education programs.
Gay Pride in Puerto Vallarta May 24-26
Gay Pride in Puerto Vallarta!
2013.
Casa Cupula Hotel Boutique and continue for three days, celebrating LGBT
culture and Puerto Vallarta’s welcoming community with music festivals,
beach parties, fashion shows, mass commitment ceremony and activities
in participating bars and clubs.
A member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association,
Puerto Vallarta has been a preferred LGBT friendly destination in the
Americas for over 60 years.
Puerto Vallarta offers an LGBT inclusive atmosphere in is Romantic Zone
area which is home to many businesses that are LGBT-owned and/or target
the consumer, including beaches, tours, activities and restaurants bars
and clubs to choose from. LGBT travelers have the option of choosing
from gay friendly resorts, hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts and guest
houses. (Many first time travelers make the mistake and stay out in Nuevo Vallarta. While there are many great places to stay out there, the LGBT community is in Romantic Zone – Old Vallarta).
The City’s Tourism Department at City Hall, led by Director Carlos
Gerard and Sub-Director Enrique Tovar, aims to increase tourism to the
city.
The 3-day event was created to celebrate the unique and
all-inclusive culture that has flourished in Puerto Vallarta,
successfully integrating the rich traditions of the Mexican culture with
the varied ideas that have been introduced to the local community from
its large expatriate community from all corners of the world including
the US and Canada, and as far afield as Asia, Russia and Europe. The
LGBT community is just one of the many communities that thrives in
Vallarta organizers explained.
Confirmed events for Vallarta Pride 2013
• Opening Reception Vallarta Pride 2013
Friday May 24, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Taste Restaurant at Casa Cupula
• Commitment Ceremony
Saturday May 25, 2013 at 11:00 am
Lido – Beach Club
• Vallarta Pride Fashion Show
Saturday May 25, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Blue Chairs Beach Club
• “HEAT” – Tea Dance
Saturday May 25, 2013 from 4:00 pm
Lido / Blue Chairs
• Vallarta Pride 2013 @Night
Themed Nights at participating bars/lounges/clubs
Saturday May 25, 2013 at 8:00 pm
• Vallarta Pride Parade 2013
Sunday May 26, 2013 from 4:00 pm
Romantic Zone
• Vallarta Pride Festival 2013
Sunday May 26, 2013 from 5:00 pm
Lazaro Cardenas Park / Romantic Zone
For more information visit media partner www.gaypv.mx or the official Puerto Vallarta website www.visitpuertovallarta.com
To win a trip to Puerto Vallarta, please visit: www.winatriptopuertovallarta.
For Pueto Vallarta’s LGBT destination brochure, please click here.
Municipal Office to Attend and Assist Puerto Vallartan Foreign Tourists and Residents
Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Week 2013
IT’S BACK!
restaurants offer a special, fixed price menu during a week or two, draw locals as well as tourists.
most places as Restaurant Week, these dining events encourage visitors
and locals to experience restaurants’ exquisite offerings at reduced
prices.
Following the trend of other influential fine dining destinations
around the world, Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group established
Restaurant Week in 2005 through a two-week festival that takes place
every year from May 15 – 31.
Restaurant Week features many of Puerto
Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit’s most coveted restaurants. Participating
establishments offer innovative three-course menus, with three options
available for each course. Since the prices are often discounted by up
to 50%, dining out during Restaurant Week is not only more fun, but also
much more affordable. Presently, participating restaurants can choose
to offer their special, Restaurant Week menu at $189 or $299 pesos per
person, tips and beverages not included.
Restaurant Week is highly anticipated by locals and gourmet
aficionados from around the world, who plan an annual vacation in Puerto
Vallarta specifically for this delicious dining festival. In addition to other
important festivities that take place during the month of May, such as
the anniversary of Puerto Vallarta’s foundation as a city and as a
municipality, Restaurant Week has become an important event that
encourages visitors to choose the month of May as an attractive time of
year to explore Banderas Bay.
Information for Visitors and Locals
Vallarta Lifestyles publishes the menus of participating restaurants
in a special, Restaurant Week Menu Guide section of the May issue of
Vallarta Lifestyles magazine, featuring the special menus offered by all
the restaurants. The Menu Guide is also printed separately, and is made
available for distribution at participating restaurants. And for those
with a tablet or smart phone at their disposal, the Menu Guide can also
be viewed online (here’s last year’s menu guide).
Restaurant Week enthusiasts frequently take the opportunity to
schedule dining events with friends and loved ones, checking out new
eateries together, and comparing notes with one another, adding a
memorable social element to the experience of enjoying some of our
destination’s finest establishments.
Travel Warning in Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Is it safe to travel to
Puerto Vallarta?
In a word, the answer is BIG yes! It is safe to travel to Puerto
Vallarta.
PV is part of the very diverse and large Mexican state of
Jalisco. Some sensational news outlets have incorrectly reported that the US State
Department is warning against all travel to Jalisco. NOT TRUE.
The US Department of State said for Puerto Vallarta – There is no recommendation
against travel to Guadalajara and Puerto
Vallarta. There is also no recommendation against travel on principal
highways in
Jalisco between Guadalajara including the
portions that cross in to the southern portions of the state of Nayarit.
Also – Mexico City (also known as the Federal District): No advisory is in effect.
Puerto Vallarta’s Tourism Board has commissioned a study from the security consulting firm Thomas Dale and Associates (TDA).
The firm found that “the number of negative events involving foreigners
or non‐foreigners is fractional compared to the large ex‐pat resident
population and the millions of visitors that come to vacation each year
in Puerto Vallarta.”
you can read more at Visit Puerto Vallarta.
Unless you were under a rock the last few years, you could not help but hear how
dangerous parts of Mexico has become, and yes, it’s true drug wars have
escalated violence in parts of Mexico. “Collateral damage” the news calls it – which really means that innocent people
have been robbed, hurt or killed.
was. I walked the streets Vallarta alone day or night. I never felt
uncomfortable or scared. Gay people are welcomed with open arms and can freely walk down the streets, hand in hand. Every year Puerto Vallarta seems to become more popular as a gay vacation spot. I actually have a friend here in Chicago, trying to sell his condo in Chicago, so he can retire early and live PV.
or run-ins with bad guys or police (well, there was that ticket for
using my cellphone while driving…), ” says Paul who owns Hotel Mercurio.
Puerto Vallarta is the most visited gay destination in Mexico.
With a great climate, beautiful ocean bay, beaches, mountains and lush
tropical jungle as the setting, Puerto Vallarta is a small city devoted
to serving the visiting traveler. While retaining much of its old style
Mexican charm, Vallarta has over the years built up the infrastructure
of a modern resort community. Internet cafes, ATM machines, great
restaurants in all price ranges, a beautiful airport, modern medical services, drinkable water
supply, and a safe, tolerant environment are now all part of the
Vallarta scene.
See Gay Guide Vallarta for more gay information.
Jacobo and María Angeles wood carvers at Colectika
Colectika is featuring two legendary Oaxaca wood carvers, Jacobo and
María del Carmen Angeles, on Wednesday, February 27, 6 – 10 pm. Don’t miss this great opportunity to meet two of the most successful, most collected folk
artists in Mexico.
Collectors from around the world have learned to appreciate the
primitive art created in small villages by a number of ethnic groups
around Mexico. New infrastructure, cellular technology and the internet are now connecting these villages—previously completely
isolated—with the outside world, resulting with a myriad of new,
artistic ideas and art forms.
Many of these can be grouped in a specific trend, known as Ancestral
Contemporary, a movement headed by a handful of artists who are taking
the traditional folk art that their ancestors have done for years, and
making it modern. Undoubtedly one of the best examples today of the
Ancestral Contemporary movement is Jacobo Angeles and his wife Maria del
Carmen. Together they have single-handedly taken the traditional
Oaxacan wood carving to a whole new level.
Manuel Jimenez may be considered the founder of the wood carving
tradition in Oaxaca but it was Jacobo and Maria who took the primitive
carvings and turned them into what can only be considered fine art
because of the amazing detail in their painting.
Jacobo and Maria live in San Martin Tilcajete, a Zapotec Indian
village about 45min. from the city of Oaxaca. When a baby is born in the
village, they are given a small animal that is their totem. Today’s
wood carvings, according to Jacobo, evolved out of this tradition.
Jacobo began carving with his father. But he was catapulted into the
limelight at age 12, with his father’s passing. This forced the young
man to go out on his own to provide for his family.
His indigenous or Zapotec style has been heavily influenced by the
patterns found in Mitla, the ancient Zapotec city famous for its
geometric patterns. The copal wood that Jacobo uses for all of his
carvings has always been considered sacred. Large trunks are used to
make big carvings but Jacobo prefers branches because he can use the
natural curves to bring his carvings to life.
Virtually everyone in the village is in the wood carving business but
it’s Jacobo and Maria’s natural paints and incredible attention to
detail, however, that makes their pieces even more attractive to
collectors. It is absolutely incredible to watch Jacobo demonstrate how
some of the natural pigments are created. From the bark of the copal
tree he can create yellow by adding lime and honey. Black is created by
adding calcium and purple by adding baking soda. The most important and
probably best recognized natural pigment is the cochinilla, an insect
that grows on the nopal cactus, over 60 shades of red can be created
using this insect.
Jacobo and Maria’s pieces are prominently displayed in galleries and
museums including the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, the
Smithsonian Native American Museum and the Santa Fe International Museum
of Folk Art to name just a few.
Colectika is located at Guadalupe Sánchez 858, in El Centro.
Source: Kevin Simpson
Puerto Vallarta Bird Festival 2013
The Vallarta Bird Conservancy announced this year’s Bird Festival, to take place from March 7-10.
New Years Eve Dinner AT Cafe des Artistes
Vallarta. Enjoy a 5 course menu designed by Chef Thierry. Feel a warmest
atmosphere with our staff, your friends and family.
Vallarta. Enjoy a 6 course menu designed by Chef Thierry. Feel a warmest
atmosphere with our staff,
elegance and comfort in outstanding natural surroundings, that are adorn
by the exquisite menu; carefully created under the direction of the
acclaim Chef Thierry Blouet.
This restaurant is AMAZING!
November is Gay Gay Gay in Puerto Vallarta!
THOUSANDS will flock to Puerto Vallarta in November to catch some Latin Fever! What is know known as Vallarta Fever, will happen 21 – 25 Nov 2012.
Vallarta Fever is the ONLY fever party that includes Club Mañana and the
famous White Party of Puerto Vallarta.
The Rocky Horror Show opens live, on stage at The Palm on Halloween at midnight!
Puerto Vallarta Mens Chorus Pride Concert June 17
Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus (PVMC), the first gay chorus in Latin America, raised in excess of 70,000 pesos as it kicked off its fundraising efforts on Monday, May
14, with a special night of festivities at No Way José!, named Vallarta’s “Best Overall Restaurant” in
2011.
The chorus, already forty-five men strong and consisting of both Mexican Nationals as well as Expatriates from all around the world, performed a special version of Sing-A-Song with beautiful Spanish lyrics written by Vallarta’s own Paco Ojeda who is also a chorus member.
“The community response has been amazing. The money we raised exceeded our expectations
and provided us with the funds we needed to secure our December holiday performance at Teatro
Vallarta,” commented Bob Bruneau, Director of the PVMC. “We could not have done it without the
hard work of all the folks at No Way José! who helped make the night was a spectacular success.
Thank you Alfredo for sharing your birthday bash with us!”
The first PVMC concert will be Sunday, June 17th at the Boutique Theatre. “This is a special concert
to celebrate gay pride that we have named Sing Out Proud! you won’t want to miss!” promises
Director Bruneau. “There will be singing, dancing and other surprises.”
Tickets to this special performance are available online at Boutiquetheatre.ca and seats are limited. Those wishing to attend are advised to make reservations as soon as possible online or by calling the Boutique Theatre
at 322-728-6878.
The mission of Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus is to present quality male choral music in Spanish
and English using the voices and talent of gay Mexicans and expatriates to entertain, enlighten, and
unify our audience and members while building bridges of greater understanding, acceptance and
love between communities, cultures, families, and friends. More information can be found on their
website at PVmenschorus.org .
For those men out there who would like to become a singing member of the PVMC gay chorus, there is still time to audition. Simply send an email to info@pvmenschorus.org and Sing Out Proud!
Best Gay Puerto Vallarta and New Gay Travel Guide and Best Gay Cities
PLEASE NOTE!
While we try to post news here as often as possible, most of our time is spent on
NEW GAY TRAVEL GUIDE and BEST GAY CITIES
Check those Gay Travel sites as well!
What is GAY PRIDE?
June is GAY PRIDE month around the world!
It is traditionally celebrated the last Sunday of June, in most cities. Pride celebrations stemmed from the Stonewall Riots in New York City.
The Stonewall Riots were a series of violent conflicts between LGBT people and New York City police officers that began during a 28 June 1969 police raid, and lasted several days. They were centered at the Stonewall Inn and are widely recognized as the catalyst for the modern-day movement towards LGBT rights.
Gay pride or LGBT pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Heterosexual people have sometimes asked me, “Why do you have to have a pride day? Why are you so proud? We don’t have straight pride day?” – It’s about not feeling ashamed of who we are. It’s about showing people our numbers, that we are in fact EVERYWHERE. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Gay pride is about appreciating yourself and other members of our community for being different. GAY PRIDE means accepting yourself and celebrating who you are.
Gay pride advocates work for equal “rights and benefits” for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises:
– that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity,
– that sexual diversity is a gift,
– and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.
Marches celebrating Pride (pride parades) are celebrated worldwide, and every year, the number of gay people and their supporters grows bigger and bigger! We’re here, we’re queer, you’d better get used to it!
Michael Snell
New Gay Travel Guide
