Puerto Vallarta is an easy place to spend the holidays. This guide covers Thanksgiving in Puerto Vallarta (Thursday, November 26, 2026) and New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta (Thursday, December 31, 2026): what each one is actually like, where to eat, where to watch the fireworks, and how to get the most out of a vacation rental over the holidays.
Both dates fall in the dry season, so the days are warm and sunny while much of the U.S. and Canada is scraping ice off windshields. They also land at the start of high season, which means the city is lively, the restaurants are open and busy, and there is plenty going on.
Thanksgiving in Puerto Vallarta
What to expect
Thanksgiving is not a Mexican holiday. For locals, Thursday, November 26 is a normal working day: shops, banks and offices are open, and nobody is rushing home for a turkey. That said, Puerto Vallarta has a large American and Canadian community, and plenty of restaurants cater to it with Thanksgiving dinners, so you will not be the only ones celebrating.
Thanksgiving week is also the unofficial start of high season. Snowbirds are arriving, flights are filling up, and the beaches and restaurants are noticeably busier than they were earlier in the month. Puerto Vallarta in November is still calmer than the Christmas to New Year’s stretch, though, which makes Thanksgiving week a nice middle ground: festive, but not packed.
Where to have Thanksgiving dinner
Many restaurants, especially in the Romantic Zone, put on a set Thanksgiving menu with turkey and the usual sides, often served from the afternoon into the evening. These dinners are popular with the expat community and they book out, so make your reservations as soon as your travel dates are firm. If you have your heart set on a particular place, call or message them in October or early November and ask whether they are doing a Thanksgiving menu this year.
Three Thanksgiving dinners already announced for Thursday, November 26, 2026:
- Restaurant Oscar’s, on Isla Río Cuale, steps from the Malecón: a four-course turkey dinner with a live DJ, seatings at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., $999 MXN per person. Book through OpenTable or by phone.
- Pool Club PV at Casa Cupula: an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet with a welcome drink and a live show, 7 to 9 p.m., $1,399 MXN ($82 USD) plus fees. Adults 18 and over, tickets on Eventbrite.
- Vallarta Botanical Garden: a traditional turkey dinner with pumpkin or pecan pie at its Hacienda de Oro restaurant, served from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with live music and the gardens to explore before or after. Prices weren’t published when we wrote this, and reservations open in October. Read more about the Vallarta Botanical Garden.
Menus, times and prices are set by each restaurant and can change, so confirm the details when you book.
For ideas on where to eat the rest of the week, see our restaurant guide.
Cooking Thanksgiving dinner in your rental
If you are traveling as a family or a group of friends, cooking Thanksgiving dinner in Puerto Vallarta can be more fun than going out. A condo with a full kitchen and a dining table gives you room to cook together, eat at your own pace and keep the leftovers for Friday.
The big supermarkets and Costco in the Hotel Zone area carry turkeys and most of what you need for a traditional dinner. Shop a few days ahead so you are not hunting for a turkey on Thursday morning.
A few practical tips:
- Go for the whole bird. Our condo ovens are big enough for a whole turkey, so there is no need to downsize the menu.
- Outsource dessert. Skip baking in an unfamiliar kitchen and pick up pie or dessert from a local bakery.
- Get groceries delivered. Grocery delivery is an option if you would rather spend the afternoon at the pool than in the checkout line.
Thanksgiving weekend for LGBTQ+ travelers
Thanksgiving weekend is a popular time for LGBTQ+ travelers in the Romantic Zone (Zona Romántica), with parties and events spread across the long weekend. For bars, beaches and the lay of the land, read our LGBTQ+ travel guide to Puerto Vallarta.
New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta
What New Year’s Eve is like
New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year in Puerto Vallarta. The Malecón, the seaside boardwalk downtown, turns into a big free street celebration with live music, food vendors and crowds of locals and visitors shoulder to shoulder along the water. At midnight, fireworks go up over the bay and the whole waterfront counts down together.
Away from the street party, restaurants, hotels and beach clubs host ticketed dinners and parties, many with their own countdown. You can do New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta in a cocktail dress or in flip-flops. Both work here.
Where to watch the fireworks
The classic spot for Puerto Vallarta New Year’s Eve fireworks is the Malecón itself, anywhere along the boardwalk with a clear line out to the bay. The beaches along the bay are the other free option: bring a blanket, find a patch of sand and watch the show go up over the water. Arrive early, because the good spots fill up well before midnight.
If you would rather skip the worst of the crowds, the Romantic Zone makes it easy. It sits a short walk from both Los Muertos Beach and the Malecón, so you can have dinner nearby, stroll down to the water just before midnight and walk home after the fireworks. Many buildings here have rooftop pools, like Loft 268’s, and on New Year’s Eve most of them keep the rooftop open until at least midnight, so you can count down above the crowds and stroll down to the beach afterward. Rooftop hours on the night vary by building, so ask us about yours when you book.
Dinner, parties and cruises
If you want a planned evening, you have three main choices: a ticketed New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant or hotel, a beach club party on the sand, or a New Year’s Eve boat cruise that watches the fireworks from the water. The cruises are a fun option for groups: dinner and drinks on board, then the fireworks reflected off the bay at midnight.
All of these sell out, and many open bookings in the fall, so reserve as soon as you know your dates. For a sense of what the boat operators run the rest of the year, see our guide to Puerto Vallarta tours.
Mexican New Year’s traditions
Spend New Year’s in Puerto Vallarta and you will see a few traditions you may not know from home. Join in:
- Twelve grapes at midnight. Eat one grape on each stroke of the clock, one for each month of the year ahead, and make a wish with each one. Have your grapes ready before the countdown starts.
- Red or yellow underwear. Red is for love in the new year, yellow is for money and prosperity. Pick your priority.
- A walk with an empty suitcase. If you want to travel in the coming year, grab an empty suitcase and walk it around the block after midnight. Yes, people really do this.
Getting around on New Year’s Eve
Traffic near the Malecón is heavy on New Year’s Eve, and taxis and rideshares are in very high demand around midnight. If you need a ride at 12:30 a.m., expect a long wait.
The simplest fix is to stay within walking distance of wherever you plan to celebrate. This is where the Romantic Zone shines: you can walk to dinner, walk to the beach or the Malecón for the fireworks, and walk home without ever looking for a cab.
Planning your holiday trip
Book early. Flights and rentals for Thanksgiving week and the Christmas to New Year’s period fill up, and prices rise as the dates get closer, so lock in your plans as early as you can. Our guide to booking your flights covers airlines, routes and timing.
Weather. Late November and late December are squarely in the dry season. Expect warm, sunny days and cooler evenings, so pack a light layer for dinner and for the rooftop at midnight. For more detail, see our guide to Puerto Vallarta weather.
Where to stay. For the holidays, the Romantic Zone is the easy answer if you want to walk to restaurants, the Malecón and the fireworks; browse our Romantic Zone vacation rentals. The Hotel Zone suits families who want beachfront pools and quick access to the big supermarkets for that Thanksgiving grocery run. For a fuller comparison of neighborhoods, read our guide on where to stay in Puerto Vallarta.
Christmas and the rest of December. If you are staying longer, Puerto Vallarta in December has its own run of celebrations, from the Virgin of Guadalupe pilgrimages (December 1 to 12) to Christmas lights along the Malecón, and we cover them in our post on Christmas and December traditions in Puerto Vallarta.
Why a vacation rental works well for the holidays
Holidays are better with space. A condo gives a family or a group of friends separate bedrooms, a living room to gather in and a kitchen for a holiday meal, whether that is a full Thanksgiving dinner or just coffee and pie on the terrace the next morning. And on New Year’s Eve, a rooftop that stays open past midnight, a few blocks from the Malecón, beats a crowded sidewalk, and you can walk home instead of waiting for a taxi.
We are a local team, not a platform. Someone from Lifestyle Properties meets you at the building when you arrive, and we are a call or text away for your whole stay. And because you book with us, there are no platform fees: book direct and save.
See our condos and check holiday availability.
Frequently asked questions
What is New Year’s Eve like in Puerto Vallarta?
Busy, loud and fun. The Malecón hosts a free street party with live music and big crowds, and fireworks go up over the bay at midnight. Restaurants, hotels and beach clubs run ticketed dinners and parties, and boat cruises watch the fireworks from the water. It is one of the busiest nights of the year, so book dinner and your rental early.
Where can I watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Puerto Vallarta?
From the Malecón, from the beaches along the bay, or from the water on a New Year’s Eve cruise. If you would rather skip the crowds, most Romantic Zone buildings keep their rooftops open until at least midnight on New Year’s Eve, a short walk from the waterfront. Ask us about your building’s rooftop hours when you book.
Do restaurants in Puerto Vallarta serve Thanksgiving dinner?
Yes. Thanksgiving is not a Mexican holiday, but the large American and Canadian community means many restaurants, especially in the Romantic Zone, offer a set Thanksgiving menu with turkey and traditional sides. These dinners book out, so make reservations early.
Is Puerto Vallarta busy over Thanksgiving and New Year’s?
Yes, both holidays fall in high season. Thanksgiving in Puerto Vallarta marks the start of it, so Thanksgiving week is busier than early November but calmer than late December. The Christmas to New Year’s period is one of the busiest stretches of the year for flights, rentals and restaurants, and New Year’s Eve in Puerto Vallarta is one of the busiest nights in the city.
Can I cook Thanksgiving dinner in a vacation rental?
Yes. Choose a condo with a full kitchen and a dining table, shop a few days ahead at the supermarkets or Costco in the Hotel Zone area, and go ahead with a whole turkey: our condo ovens are big enough for one.
