Founded 20 years ago by Toronto promoter Steve Buczek, Puerto Vallarta’s BeefDip festival has spawned something much bigger than itself. And not just in the bearish sense.
These days, BeefDip is merely the flagship for Puerto Vallarta’s Bear Week, a beachside social calendar filled with events from various venues and promoters that draws more than 5,000 bears—big hairy guys and their fans and friends—and brings in as much as US$12 million into the local economy.
The group Bears in Puerto Vallarta launched their Bearadise International Bear Festival about seven years ago; their five-party series runs from January 31 to February 4, 2024—BeefDip starts January 28.
And this year, the adults-only Mantamar Beach Club (Malecón 169, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, Puerto Vallarta), a gay-oriented resort that’s been making waves the last few years for its sexy and extravagant parties, has called in some international troupes for its own Mantamar Bear Week. The resort has invited Brawny Bear Weekend from Puerto Vallarta-based promoter Brian Kent, Furball from New York City, Torremolinos Bear Pride from Spain and Twisted Bear from London, U.K., to host parties on the property throughout the week. Oh, and they’ve invited more Canadians—the guys behind Toronto’s Pitbull Events. Known for their beefy nighttime parties and cruises, they’ll be doing a daytime pool party for the PV crowd.
“We’re trying to make sure it’s the ultimate day party, where people get sunburnt and drunk and have a great time on the beach,” says Francis Gaudreault, co-owner of Pitbull Events. “We have one of our resident DJs, Alex Ramos, who does some great music, do production design with new lights to make our own unique blend of festivities.”
Though Pitbull has been hosting cruises for ages, this is their first foray into hosting an event in Mexico. That said, Gaudreault’s been a fan of Puerto Vallarta for years. “I love the bright blue skies, the genial atmosphere,” he says. “The whole town is geared to give you a fantastic experience. You’re surrounded by rainforest mountains that you can explore. You can take a booze cruise to some isolated islands, and you can zipline through the jungle. Even though it’s a very tourist-heavy place, they still maintain a strong Mexican culture and atmosphere. A lot of people make the mistake of just staying at Blue Chairs [an area on the beach where gay guys hang out] or one specific bar all weekend long, not realizing that a few feet away, there’s a whole different world to discover.”
A Pitbull crew of five or so will jet in to put on the party, though they’ll also be hiring some local dancers. Gaudreault hopes this is the first of many events he’ll be hosting in the resort town.
When he’s not poolside in PV, Gaudreault likes the shrimp eggs benedict at The Blue Shrimp (Olas Altas 336, Zona Romántica, Puerto Vallarta). “Every table faces the water, so you get stunning views of the beach,” he says. “They take staple dishes and add Mexican flair to it.”
He’ll also go jet skiing by the Blue Chairs beach. “It’s always fun seeing the boys in their Speedos everywhere.”
In 2024, Puerto Vallarta Bear Week, including Mantamar Bear Week, runs from January 28 to February 5.
