Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The long-anticipated 2013 Bougainvillea Festival has been officially announced by the Puerto Vallarta Garden Club and is scheduled to take place May 17 through 24, 2013.

The event has taken years of planning, support and a mountain of volunteer labor, in order to progressively landscape many areas of Puerto Vallarta with the goal of transforming our destination into "The City of Bougainvilleas."

While the bracts of bougainvilleas are in full bloom most of the year, they are particularly flushed and full during the month of May, hence the timing of the festival. The dates also overlap with the highly popular Vallarta Restaurant Week event organized annually by Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group.

Organizers of both events have chosen to partner in implementing cross-promoting strategies. "May is a very important month in Puerto Vallarta’s history," commented Paco Ojeda, who oversees the production of Restaurant Week for Vallarta Lifestyles. "It is the month in which Puerto Vallarta celebrates its inception as a city and as a municipality. By partnering with the Bougainvillea Festival in promoting both events, we hope that other event organizers will also choose the month of May as an increasingly cultural month."

Many activities are planned for the first edition of the Bougainvillea Festival, including candlelight procession, a "Salute to Mexico" street party, a special day devoted to children, a guided bus tour to the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, daily downtown guided walking tours, a traditional British High Tea Party, and Mexican folk dancing presentations.

There is still plenty of time for volunteers and sponsors to help make this event a success. For more information, please contact the Puerto Vallarta Garden Club President, Suzanne Kirkpatrick at suzkirk66(at)gmail.com. Please support the Bougainvillea Festival by visiting its Facebook page and clicking on "Like"!