Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 19, 2026 – Puerto Vallarta’s first Crocodile Festival will bring safety workshops, scientific exhibits and guided wetland walks to Estero El Salado on Saturday, following a summer marked by a fatal beach attack, repeated sightings and 11 confirmed adult crocodile deaths across the region.
The festival program announced by Jalisco’s Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parque Estatal Estero El Salado, Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio 3544 in Colonia Villa Las Flores.
The event takes place one day ahead of National Crocodile Day, observed in Mexico each August 23.
Saturday’s schedule includes information stands, scientific and teaching materials, prevention workshops and guided or self-guided walks along the wetland’s interpretive trail. Artist María Cristina Mercado will coordinate a collective artwork during the event.
More than 15 exhibitors and partner organizations are expected. Participants include Reptilario Cipactli, Jardín Botánico Haravéri, SOS Cocodrilo Nayarit, Campamento Escuela Tortuguero Boca de Tomates and Puerto Vallarta’s Environmental Sustainability Directorate.
The safety sessions carry immediate local context. In late June, a 28-year-old man died after a crocodile attacked him off a Marina Vallarta beach. Mexican Navy personnel recovered his body the following day.
Semadet later confirmed the deaths of 11 adult American crocodiles in Puerto Vallarta, Bahía de Banderas and other areas along the Jalisco coast during recent weeks.
The agency said increased sightings do not indicate overpopulation. Regional biological monitoring estimates between 300 and 350 crocodiles across all stages of development. Rainy-season movement between estuaries, rivers and the sea makes the animals more visible near beaches and other heavily used areas.
The American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, is classified as a species under special protection through Mexico’s NOM-059 environmental standard.
Saturday’s agenda places public safety and wildlife protection in the same discussion. Prevention workshops will address risk around live animals, while environmental groups will present the ecological role of a species facing habitat pressure and repeated deaths.
Education has also moved into city operations. Puerto Vallarta rescue crews recently shared beach alerts and risk communication protocols during coastal training attended by government agencies, researchers and tourism representatives.
El Salado already participates in the regional human-crocodile working group alongside Semadet, CUCosta, Civil Protection and federal environmental agencies. Its location along the city’s main avenue places a protected crocodile habitat directly within Puerto Vallarta’s urban landscape.
The estuary’s boat tours remain suspended through 2026 while safety work proceeds around the boarding area. Saturday’s activities will use the land-based interpretive trail, with the program beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m.
