The International Fireworks Festival is set to kick off on December 25, 2014 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with an impressive lineup of entertainment served with nightly firework displays by Mexico, Canada, United States, France, and others.
There will be five states represented from Mexico; Puebla, Zacatecas, Sonora, Mexico, and Jalisco.
Each night during the festival the skies will come alive with fireworks launched at three locations, Los Muertos Pier, Municipal Stadium, and Peninsula, providing a 360 view of fireworks around the city. The firework displays will begin at 9:30 each night for 20 minutes followed by a headliner concert at Municipal Stadium at 10 PM.
All events and concerts during the International Fireworks Festival in Puerto Vallarta will be free. If you plan on seeing some of the more popular performances, like Lila Downs, Plástico, Los 3 Zenzontles, and the New Year’s Eve closing show by Sonora Dinamita, you will want to be at the Municipal Stadium early.
If you don’t plan on attending a concert, it’s recommended that you enjoy many of the other festivities around town and gather in popular evening locations like the Los Muertos Pier or the Puerto Vallarta Malecón. Fireworks will be seen from any location around the city.
On December 26 at 8:45 you can catch Mike Laure Jr at Hidalgo Park, one block north of the Puerto Vallarta Malecón. Mike Laure Jr., along with its renewed Comets, continues the legacy of his father, a famous Mexican musician from Guadalajara. Mike Jr., with his pace and unparalleled style, brings authentic Mexican folk music to the ears of all latitudes and altitudes on the planet.
December 27 brings one of the most anticipated performances of the festival, Lily Downs, who will be performing in Puerto Vallarta at the Municipal Stadium at 10 PM. Lila grew up both in Minnesota and Oaxaca, and her music and vocal artistry has many influences, including the folk and ranchera music of Mexico and South America and American folk, jazz, blues and hip-hop. Many of her lyrics focus on issues relating to social justice, and often tell the stories of the workers who migrate from rural Mexico to work in the U.S.
Plástiko, a hip band with a distinctive mix of seventies, swing, ska, reggae and jazz funk will entertain fans on December 28 at the Municipal Stadium at 8:30 PM, before the nights firework display.
Following Plástiko on stage at 10 PM will be La Cuca. Cuca is a Mexican rock & roll band from Guadalajara. Their first album, La Invasión de los Blátidos, made them a trend setter in Mexican rock music, since the album contained irreverent, humorous, curse-word laden lyrics and aggressive sound, which at the time were not expected in Mexican music.
Los 3 Zenzontles, best described at the three tenors of Mexico will be performing as the fireworks light up the sky as their backdrop at the stadium beginning at 10 PM, December 29.
Azul Violeta, a funk, rock, electronic band that originated in Guadalajara in 1988 will take the stage on December 30 at 10:00 PM as the nights headlining band.
New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta
This year we are lucky to have New Year’s Eve and the closing night of the International Fireworks Festival on the same night, fireworks by five different countries and live music and theater shows to close out 2014 and ring in the new year.
Ballet Folkrórico de Tomatlán will be performing at Municipal Stadium at 7:30 PM and immediately following the ballet, the Mariachi sounds of Tipico de Tecolotlán will take the stage at 8:30 PM.
The evening will be filled with excitement, food, and fun, stretching from Los Muertos Pier, Olas Altas, The Puerto Vallarta Malecón, and at the Municipal Stadium full of concerts and shows the entire evening.
Finally, New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta is always an exciting time, and this year brings recording artist Sonora Dinamita to close out 2014 and the International Fireworks Festival. La Sonora Dinamita is a Colombian musical group that plays cumbia, a Colombian and Panamanian music genre popular throughout Latin America. As one of the first cumbia groups to reach international success, it is credited with helping to popularize the genre throughout Latin America, and the world.
Stick around for the final fireworks of the festival and of the year, New Year’s Eve fireworks never disappoint in Puerto Vallarta. The best place to catch fireworks on New Year’s Eve is on the Malecón where you have the perfect view of all the municipality’s fireworks from around the Bay of Banderas. With the fireworks of Puerto Vallarta over your head, many times you will catch the fireworks in the backdrop from Bucerias, Nuevo, La Cruz, and other cities lining the bay.
Check out the complete schedule of events for the International Fireworks Festival.
