1961 Filming of the Night of the Iguana by John Huston in Mismaloya. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor bought Casa Kimberly in PV after that (but note the “Casa Kimberly" you see now - it is not the same original building as it was destroyed and rebuilt). Life Magazine carried photos of Liz and Richard that helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map for U.S. visitors. As Elizabeth Taylor was friends with many of the Hollywood “gay mafia” her love for the city intrigued many, who made visits to Vallarta. This inspired many from the California gay community (Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift, etc.,) to visit.
1982
1997
1999
Los Balcones Opens - First Gay Bar in PV In 1982, a young Lesbian named Vicky Macedo made history. She converted her family home, where she had been raised at Juarez 182, into the first openly gay bar in Puerto Vallarta. Some old timers told us that The Piano Bar (also known at some point as The Sand Bar) was the first gay bar, but didn’t promote itself as a gay bar.
Apaches Martini and Cocktail Bar opened in November
Mark Rome opens the Palm Cabaret
Wayne Franklin opens Tropicasa Realty, one of the first gay owned real estate firms in the area.
Ampas Neighborhood Association (ANA) is formed. The gay beach and that area falls into the Ampas community, and has benefited greatly from ANA.
1989 Paco Ruiz opened his namesake bar Club Paco Paco
1995 Los Balcones introduces Drag Queen nights, and this is thought to be the first public drag queen contests.
1998 Bar Los Amigos Opened in October Zona Romantica Guide for Club Paco Paco Newsletter was produced Opening of Descanso del Sol Hotel with Rooftop Bar, popular after beach gay venue Vallarta’s first gay circuit party, called Latin Fever, began in Puerto Vallarta in 1998. The five-day event was the first event to promote Puerto Vallarta extensively in the gay community in North America, and was created by Gilles Belanger (Toronto) and Will Gorges (L.A.)
Timeline for significant gay events that have happened in Puerto Vallarta
54 • FALL 2023 • outandaboutpv.com