If you enjoy wine, good food, and events that actually feel elevated — this one’s worth putting on your calendar. 📅 March 5–7, 2026📍 Various locations in Puerto Vallarta (main event at Puerto Mágico) Vinoma Fest returns to Vallarta for its fourth edition, bringing three days of wine, gastronomy, and oceanfront experiences. Here’s what to expect: 🌿 Thursday, March 5 – Gala de Sabores (Casa Velas, Marina Vallarta) An intimate garden evening featuring 5 acclaimed chefs from Mexico and Latin America.It’s a roaming 10-course experience with wine pairings — not a sit-down dinner. Think: • Chef stations under the stars • Sommeliers pairing wines with each course • Upscale but relaxed atmosphere This is the more refined, smaller-crowd experience of the weekend. ⛳ Friday, March 6 – Golf + Professional Tasting Experience Morning: Vinoma Golf Cup at Vista Vallarta Golf Club Afternoon: A special tasting event at Café des Artistes in collaboration with Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, where attendees taste wines like professional judges. If you’ve ever wanted to understand wine at a deeper level, this is the educational day. 🌊 Saturday, March 7 – Grand Wine & Food Festival at Puerto Mágico This is the big one. • 300+ wines • 40+ wineries • Multiple food pairing stations • Live music • Open-air seaside setting • Sunset over Banderas Bay It runs from mid-afternoon into the evening and is designed as a walk-around tasting experience. No rigid schedule. Just explore at your own pace. 💰 Tickets & Pricing General Access: approx. MX$1,450 Premium Access: approx. MX$2,500 (includes upgraded glass, engraving, tote, and access to a special tasting session) Tickets are limited — this isn’t meant to be a massive overcrowded event. 📍 Location Notes for Expats The main event is at Puerto Mágico (Maritime Terminal) in Marina Vallarta — about 10–15 minutes by taxi from Centro or Zona Romántica. Early March weather here is ideal: warm, dry, and perfect for sunset events.

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A disturbing video has been circulating showing a speedboat colliding with a humpback whale here in Banderas Bay. In the footage, passengers can be heard yelling “¡Para, para!” as the whale surfaces directly in the boat’s path — but the vessel doesn’t slow down in time. The impact is sudden, and the video cuts off moments later. Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of human injuries in this particular incident. However, the condition of the whale remains unknown. This comes during one of the busiest whale seasons in recent years. Hundreds of humpbacks migrate to our waters each winter to mate and give birth. Reports suggest this is at least the third serious whale-boat collision this season alone. In December, a tour boat collision tragically resulted in the death of a 70-year-old American expat. In another case, a young whale calf was found with severe propeller wounds and was not expected to survive. Local conservation groups are calling this latest incident an “avoidable tragedy,” pointing to excessive speed and lack of proper lookout as key factors. Mexican regulations require boats to slow to idle speeds near whales and maintain minimum distance. Speeding, distracted boating, and ignoring safety protocols are under increasing scrutiny. Whale watching is a major part of Puerto Vallarta’s winter tourism economy, and many reputable operators follow strict guidelines. But incidents like this raise serious concerns about enforcement and accountability — especially during peak season when the bay is crowded with private boats, jet skis, water taxis, and tours. Authorities are reminding captains that harming a protected species like the humpback whale can result in heavy fines and potential criminal charges. For those of us who live here, this hits close to home. The whales are part of what makes Vallarta special. Slowing down, posting a lookout, and respecting distance rules are simple steps that can prevent tragedies like this. What are your thoughts? Do you feel enforcement is strong enough during whale season?

Puerto Vallarta municipal public safety teams have increased both foot and vehicle patrols across the city, focusing on parks, sports courts, riverbanks, tourist areas, and key avenues. The goal is prevention — reducing public drinking, drug use, disturbances, and other nuisance behavior before it escalates. Areas mentioned include: • Lázaro Cárdenas Park • Parque Lineal• Pitillal Riverbank • Agustín Flores Contreras sports complex • Courts near Calle Atmósfera (Colonia Buenos Aires) • El Caloso • Main avenues like Francisco Medina Ascencio, Francisco Villa, and Prisciliano Sánchez Officials say the strategy is about visibility and maintaining a calmer, family-friendly environment in public spaces, especially during peak hours and around business closing times. No major incidents were reported during the latest patrol cycle. For expats, expect to see more uniformed officers in parks and along busy corridors. The approach is being framed as proactive, focused on keeping public spaces safe and usable. Source: Vallarta Daily (vallartadaily.com)

Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding region have seen a major surge in measles vaccinations this month as part of an expanded public health campaign. According to Vallarta Daily, health authorities administered up to 40,000 measles vaccine doses in just one week — and the effort is still rolling out across the city and nearby areas. Here’s what’s going on: • Mass Vaccination Push: A three-week vaccination campaign has been underway, with clinics and vaccination modules set up in shopping malls, schools, and even at the airport to make shots easy to access for residents and visitors alike. • Response to Local Cases: This push is part of a broader response that began earlier in February when Puerto Vallarta confirmed its first local measles cases and health officials stepped up outreach efforts. • Public Health Strategy: The initiative includes mobile vaccination sites and pop-ups aimed at catching up on missed immunizations — especially important given measles’ high contagiousness and recent increases in cases reported across parts of Mexico. 💡 What this means for expats: If you or your family haven’t had MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines or aren’t sure of your vaccination status, this is a good time to check with your local clinic or health provider. Free vaccination efforts like this make it easier to stay protected. Source: Vallarta Daily (vallartadaily.com)