Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - There's always so much going on in the Banderas Bay area and around the Republic, it can be difficult to keep up with it all. Here's a look at some of this week's Mexico headlines, plus Puerto Vallarta news, community announcements and a couple of this weekend's events that you won't want to miss.

Circo de los Niños Instructors Present 'Madrugada'

On Saturday, June 4 at 8:30 pm, professional artists and the teachers of Circo de los Niños de San Pancho will debut Madrugada, a theatrical show performed by the professional artists who teach at the Circo de los Niños in San Pancho, Nayarit. Conceived by Cirque du Soleil co-founder Gilles Ste Croix, Madrugada is directed by Ariel Sainz, who will also be performing on stage along with Circo de los Niños instructors Alberto Vallin, Ita Barona, Jorge Diaz, Sarah Kamishine and Miriam Segoviano. The Circo de los Niños de San Pancho (San Pancho Children's Circus) is a non-profit social and artistic program that was founded by Ste Croix in 2011, when 40 children signed up for the first show. The circus school now has a permanent home in the renovated Bodega Circo warehouse where more than 70 children aged 8 to 17 learn acrobatics, juggling and trapeze. Through circus arts and techniques, the children build confidence, focus, determination and physical capabilities. Saturday's debut of 'Madrugada' is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the incredible talent and skills of the professionals who share their expertise with the children every day. If you are in town or plan to be, this is an event you don't want to miss. This One-Night-Only performance is free and open to the public, but a $100 pesos donation is suggested in order to support the artists and the creative and collective outcome of this unique community project. The Bodega Circo/Danza warehouse is located at Ave. Tercer Mundo #15, between the Colectivo San Pancho and the Entreamigos Centro Comunitario in San Francisco, Nayarit. For more information, call 322-779-1519, or visit CircoDeLosNinosDeSanPancho.mx.

Aeromexico Offers Mexico City to Amsterdam Flights

Aeromexico has enhanced its European network with the introduction on 29 May of thrice-weekly flights from Mexico City (MEX) to Amsterdam (AMS). The 9,201-kilometer route (the airline's second longest after its Tokyo Narita service) will be flown using the SkyTeam member's 243-seat 787s. The route is already flown nine times weekly by fellow SkyTeam carrier KLM. Amsterdam becomes the airline's fourth destination in Europe after London Heathrow, Madrid and Paris CDG. Anko van der Werff, Aeromexico's Chief Revenue Officer, said: "Aeromexico is extremely proud to add Amsterdam to its European route network. The Netherlands is Mexico's fourth largest trading partner in the EU, and nowadays, an average of 200,000 annual passengers travel between both capital cities. With this flight, Aeromexico will be able to offer quality service to all of its customers travelling from the Netherlands on board our Boeing 787 aircraft with greater connectivity options to the main cities in Mexico, such as Guadalajara, Monterrey and Puerto Vallarta, and in Central and South America, including San Jose, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama."

Record Occupancy Portend What's Ahead for Vallarta-Nayarit

Hotel occupancy rates from January through March in Mexico's principal tourist destinations were the highest quarterly rates recorded by the Secretariat of Tourism since it began keeping records in 2004. Occupancy in the 70 destinations reached 59.42%, beating the previous record, set in the third quarter of last year, of 57.8%. "We are experiencing a tourist boom in the country," said Rafael García, president of the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels, observing that occupancy rates had recovered even as more rooms have been added to the inventory. The highest occupancy rates in the first quarter were seen at Playacar in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, with 88%, followed by Nuevo Vallarta in Nayarit with 86.7%, Akumal, 37 kilometers from Playa del Carmen, with 86.4%, Puerto Vallarta with 82.5% and Cancún with 80.9%, according to the Tourism Secretariat.

Mexico City Hosts 'Rights of Mother Earth' Forum

The First International Forum for the Rights of Mother Earth kicked off in Mexico City Wednesday with a moving ritual in honor of the planet featuring officials, experts, spiritual representatives and envoys from different indigenous communities in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, India and other countries. The forum brings legislators, scientists, philosophers, ecologists, artists, keepers of ancient traditions, and social and spiritual leaders from around the world together to define actions that ignite social awareness centered around the importance of legislating the Rights of Mother Earth. "We're meeting for the first time to build connections and strengthen this proposal with the goal of taking it to the municipal, state and national levels and eventually establishing a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth," the president of the non-governmental organization Rights of Mother Earth Mexico, Alberto Ruz, said at the close of the inauguration ceremony. Ruz said a declaration would be signed at the end of the event advocating that the rights of the planet be "established in Mexican law." The ultimate goal of the international forum, which will run until June 5 and include conferences, workshops and concerts, is to follow the path charted by Bolivia and Ecuador, countries that legally recognize the Earth's rights, and "set an example" for other nations so they also enact laws in this area, he added.

Weekend Events in Puerto Vallarta and Around Banderas Bay
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• Live Music All Weekend at Nacho Daddy Restaurant & Bar

• 56th Int'l Sport Fishing Tournament in San Blas

• Daiquiri Dick's Special Menu Features World Flavors