Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The fifth edition of Vallarta Pride, Puerto Vallarta's annual gay pride festival, is set to take place from May 21 to 28, 2017, and its Organizing Committee is proud to announce all the events that will honor the vibrant LGBT community that live and visit our tourist destination.

Vallarta Pride 2017 kicks off on May 21 with the Opening Party at Mantamar Beach Club, where many other parties will be held throughout the week, such as the DJ Beat Pool Parties on May 22nd, 23rd and 24th, all of which start at 11 am. Mantamar will also host the Fashion Party on May 25th from 7-10 pm; and the HER Party, a Women's Party that includes a three-course dinner and a stand up comic show, as well as the presentation of DJ Vo!d and Youtubers Bria & Chrissy, on Friday, May 26, starting at 8 pm.

Cultural events that promote diversity will not be lacking this year. On Monday, May 22nd there will be a Candlelight Memorial with the theme "Ending AIDS Together," which includes two marches that will leave Parque Hidalgo and Parque Lázaro Cárdenas at 6:00 pm and come together at Los Arcos del Malecón, where a commemoration ceremony will be held.

On May 23, don't miss the special 8:00 pm performance of Casa Valentina, a humorous and uplifting play written by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein that was nominated for four 2014 Tony Awards, at the ACT II Entertainment complex, on the corner of Insurgentes and Basilio Badillo on Vallarta's south side.

On Wednesday, May 24th, the documentary Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride will be screened at 3:30 pm at ACT II STAGES. Afterwards, there will be a panel discussion with one of the producers of this Canadian film, Bob Christie.

Later that same evening, it'll be time to celebrate the traditional Pride Parade, which will be very special this year because for the first time, the Mayor of Puerto Vallarta, Arturo Dávalos Peña, will participate along with his family, the Police Chief, Firefighters, and other municipal authorities.

The parade will start at 8:00 pm on Avenida Francisco Medina Asencio, in front of the Hotel Sheraton Buganvilias, and wind its way through the streets of Vallarta and down the Malecón, cross the Río Cuale bridge and continue to Lázaro Cárdenas street, where the first Vallarta Pride Block Party, where bars like La Noche, CC Slaughters, Fiesta Bar, Mr. Flamingo, La Margarita, Paco's Ranch and Los Muertos Brewing will offer music, drinks and lots of fun on the street. At 9:00 pm, the exclusive Women's Rooftop Party will be held at El Soñador Bar, with live performance by DJ Vo!d and Youtubers Bria & Chrissy.

On May 26, the traditional Drag Derby will return, offering two hours of fun as twenty-four Drag Queens wearing high-heels will race up and down the street while competing in seven crazy challenges to win $8,000 pesos in prizes. The fun starts at 6:00 pm on the corner of Pulpito and Olas Altas. At 9:00 pm The Glowjob Party will be held at Casa Cupula, featuring incredible lighting under the stars and the best circuit music by DJ Luis Skarraman, as well as GoGo dancers, body painting and more.

At 11:00 pm, the Black Party, presented by Lucas Entertainment's new artist, Alejandro Castillo, will feature DJ Jose Spinnin Cortés playing international dance music at the Lions Club, Lazaro Cardenas #279, on Vallarta's south side.

The confirmed events for Saturday, May 27 are the Wet & Wild Cruise, which leaves from Los Muertos Pier at 11:00 am; The Health Fair taking place in Parque Hidalgo at 5:00 pm, and the White Party 'Carnivale' by Jeffrey Sanker, who'll bring the flavors of Rio de Janeiro to Mantamar Beach Club starting at 6:00 pm. The festival will culminate on May 28 with the Farewell Party, also at Mantamar Beach Club.

For more information, and to get your tickets for all of the exciting events set to take place during the 2017 Vallarta Pride celebration, visit vallartapride.com.

About Vallarta PRIDE

Recognized internationally as a LGBT Mecca, Puerto Vallarta warmly receives domestic and international gay visitors, creating a sophisticated culture sheltered by a vibrant local community that is constantly evolving. This heritage was adopted by the Vallarta PRIDE Organizing Committee in order to work together with public and private partners, putting our city on the world stage of the yearly LGBT celebrations. Vallarta PRIDE works towards a future without discrimination so that we all have equal rights before the law. We believe we can achieve this through the LGBT events we organize to inspire, to commemorate and celebrate our community. For more information, please visit VallartaPride.com, or the official Facebook page.