Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival

During one of the upcoming Riviera Nayarit events, the blue ocean waters will be dotted with bursts of color and bright sails. From May 17-19, 2019, the Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival will bring together the top kite surfers from around the world for the most important kiteboard sporting competition in Mexico. The festival takes place in Bucerias, the Wind Capital of Riviera Nayarit, which is just a short walk along the beach to the north of Nuevo Vallarta.

Most people have never gotten to watch a professional kiteboard competition, and of all the sport events in the city, this is not only the most unique, but it’s also exhilarating and easy to watch from the shore in front of major resorts. The competition will be racing along the coast, so if you don’t walk north towards Bucerias, you can still see the kitesurfing Mexico competition from anywhere along the shore of Nuevo Vallarta. Of all the Riviera Nayarit events, this festival has both a laidback and competitive surfing vibe, and it’s completely free to watch. Even those who aren’t familiar with the sport will have their eyes glued to the sea to watch the daring feats of the athletes during the weekend of competition.

Kitesurfing is a combination of surfing, sailing, and flying a kite that has become increasingly important in recent decades. To kiteboard, riders will have a large kite attached to their waist that allows them to get big air off of the waves. As they ride, athletes hold onto a handle to steer the kite as they ride across the waves on a board. While the equipment is expensive and kiteboard sporting requires a certain degree of physical strength, a wide variety of people enjoy the sport and are planning on competing in the upcoming Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival.

If the energy of the sport events during the festival intoxicates you, there are several places in Riviera Nayarit that will teach you how to kiteboard or windsurf, a similar water surface sport. Windsurfing is done on a board that’s connected to a sail, almost like a small, individual sailboat. While windsurfing is not a part of the competition, it’s a popular activity in Riviera Nayarit that requires sailing skills and physical endurance. Because windsurfing stays on the water’s surface, it’s not as dangerous as kitesurfing Mexico waves. Surf Mexico has excellent class for both windsurf and kiteboard sporting, and The Kite Zone specializes is kiteboarding lessons.

There will be three main sport events during the competition. The one that will be the most visible along the beach is the long distance race that goes from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to Bucerias. The other sport events are a freestyle competition with jumps and tricks, and a big air contest to see who can propel themselves the highest off the waves. With over 300 competitors, this will be one of the largest Riviera Nayarit events of the year.

Whether the kitesurfing Mexico competition gets you inspired to take a kiteboard or windsurf lesson or if it just provides you with some entertainment for your beach day, the Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival is an incredible event that showcases talented athletes from around the world. For a memorable afternoon of relaxing on the beach, head towards the competition and cheer for all the athletes.