Every year at the end of May -and as part of the anniversary celebrations-, the city rewards distinguished citizens with the Premio Vallarta. The areas that are recognized are: culture, sports, education, politics, social sciences, economic development and institutional loyalty, the recognition has been awarded to the public annually since 1998.

At a recent plenary session of the city council, the list of 2019 Premio Vallarta winners was approved, and the awards will be delivered on Friday, May 31, during the solemn session on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of Puerto Vallarta as a municipality and its 51 years as a city.

The Premio Vallarta is the highest award granted by the municipality to the inhabitants of this port. Awarded to Vallartenses by birth or adoption who have resided in the city for at least five years, the prize recognizes eminent merit or distinguished and exemplary behavior relevant to deeds or services performed for the town and its inhabitants, as well as heroic acts. This year's recipients include:

This year's "Ignacio Luis Vallarta Ogazón" prize, which is awarded in recognition of exemplary conduct or trajectory for the benefit of the municipality or its inhabitants, will be given to the Amapas Neighborhood Association for its constant support and contributions to the city.

The former rector general of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) and former rector of the Centro Universitario de la Costa, Marco Antonio Cortés Guardado, will be awarded the "Teresa Barba Palomera" prize, for his great cultural contribution to the municipality.

Renowned Puerto Vallarta painter, Javier Niño Rodríguez, will be awarded the 2019 "Manuel Lepe Macedo" medal, awarded to those who have excelled in the field of the arts.

Finally, the "Francisca Rodríguez Rodríguez" award, which is granted to distinguished members of the teaching profession, the leaders and/or benefactors of public education, will be delivered to Centro Universitario de la Costa Professor, Claudio Rafael Vázquez Martínez, who was also proposed for the "Manuel Lepe Macedo" award.

Source: Banderas News

Aquathlon Vallarta 2019, the fourth edition of the event, Will take place on Sunday, July 7, a the malecón and beaches in downtown PV, with over 10 clubs participating.

Designed to give people of all ages a fun way to stay in shape - and a chance to win great prizes - the Aquathlon Vallarta is a continuous, three-stage race involving running, then swimming, followed by more running, which requires each of the competing athletes to give it their all.

According to Acuatlón Vallarta 2019 coordinator, Cristian Araiza, athletes between the ages of 9 and 60 are invited to participate in several divisions of the men's, women's and children's categories.

The competition will begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, July 7, in front of the Rosita Hotel on the Malecón, with contenders in the Open Category (ages 16 and up) running 2.5 kilometers on the Malecón (1.25 km from the starting line to "El Molino" and 1.25 km back.)

Next, they will go for a 1000 meter swim (500 meters out and 500 meters back) in the waters of Banderas Bay from the beach in front of the Malecón, where lifeguards will be on duty. The final leg of the race is another 2.5K run, retracing the original route. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first 5 places in the Men's and Women's categories.

Shorter courses have been designed for the three Kid's divisions: Infantil (ages 9-11), Children (11-13), and Teenagers (14 & 15). The winners of the first three places in these categories will receive in-kind prizes from event sponsors.

Source: Banderas News

Westjet Magazine’s online edition has published an article titled “Plan a Trip to These LGBTQ2S+ Friendly Sun Destinations” including Both Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit among the destinations which should be part of everyone’s travel plans.

3. Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

An area rather than a city, this 300-kilometre stretch of the west coast starts immediately north of Puerto Vallarta and ends at Tecuala. Southern Riviera Nayarit—which teams up with Puerto Vallarta for Pride each May—is the spot where you can go a little higher end. The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort won the 2018 Gay Travel Award for the best LGBTQ2S+ friendly beach resort in the world, and website gaytravel.com promises it will immerse guests in “unsurpassed luxury.”

4. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta has been the LGBTQ2S+ capital of Mexico since people found out Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton holidayed there regularly. The party hasn’t stopped since. Though the city’s Lázaro Cárdenas strip is especially popular with gay men, LGBTQ2S+ tourism has become such a mainstay of the economy that you’re likely to get a friendly welcome whatever initial in the acronym you identify with.

Source: WestJest Magazine

The Cultural Projects Office will celebrate its 5th anniversary with a big party full of music, food, drinks and specially, a lot of art, on June 8, 2019, a starting at 7:00 pm.

The public event will take place at OPC’s headquarters (Juárez 598, Downtown), where diverse activities are prepared, such as an art auction and raffles of products and services donated by sponsors in order to raise funds to allow the OPC to continue offering free cultural and artistic events.

DJ Tellers will be in charge of the entertainment, plus food and drinks will be provided by El Arrayán, Bar Solar, Cervecería el Terrible and Uncork Mexico.

OPC is a non profit organization which main purpose is to promote the art, education and culture for visitors and residents of Puerto Vallarta. It open its doors on May the 28th 2014 with the exhibition “Paraíso en Proceso” and, since then, it has hosted more than 20 exhibitions of contemporary art, workshops, conferences and cultural and artistic events for free.

Source: Vallarta Lifestyles

This Saturday, June 1st, the premiere edition of TONAL Will take place, a yearly art meeting and contest that looks to unite and recognize emergent contemporary artists.

The event will start at 4 pm at Galería Uno (Morelos 561, Downtown), where besides enjoying the award wining ceremony for each of the categories, the public will be able to experience four performances and an art exhibit, and delight in music, drinks, freebies and pop-up shops. The winners will receive a cash prize, plus a certificate of participation, a gift kit and the opportunity to exhibit 4 of their best pieces at Galería Uno during a whole month.

According to La Central Casa Creativa, the official organizer of this event, in this first edition it received a total amount of 83 pieces of painting and illustration (from which 34 were selected) and 20 audiovisuals (from which 6 were selected). The artworks were sent from different places of Mexico, such as Puebla, Estado de Mexico, Mexico City, Aguascalientes, León, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Monterrey, Oaxaca y Puerto Vallarta.

The event will be open for the public. For more information, visit the Official Facebook.

Source: Vallarta Lifestyles