The festival's South Shore events follow the kilometer markers on Carretera a Barra de Navidad. The first is Garza Blanca Preserve, whose TierraLuna Gardens has the official address Carretera a Barra de Navidad Km. 7.5, Puerto Vallarta, 48390. On the evening of Thursday, November 12, that garden hosts the opening of the 31st Festival Gourmet International. Four nights later, Karuma, a restaurant inside the same garden, is one of three restaurants on the festival's South Shore tasting route.
So one South Shore property is part of two of the festival's biggest nights. This year's festival covers Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Tepic, with more than 25 host restaurants, more than 50 chefs and 15 events from November 12 to 22. The South Shore events sit between Km 7.5 and Km 17.5 of Carretera a Barra de Navidad, and Km 7.5 is where both of the big nights meet.
What opening night includes at TierraLuna Gardens
The Grand Gourmet Village starts at 7:00 p.m. on November 12 and costs $2,200 MXN per person. The festival says everything is included with admission: more than 50 gourmet tapas, more than 50 Mexican and international wines, premium mixology and spirits, live music with a DJ, and 28 participating restaurants in one garden.
That "28" is worth comparing with the festival's own host list. The official 2026 participants page names 26 host restaurants: Amixtli, Bocados Steak House, Café des Artistes, Codex, Dao, El Dorado, Elena 1927, Emiliano, Hiroshi, Hoja Santa, Ikan, Il Molo, Karuma, La Casa, La Cocina, La Ribera, Le Kliff, Loma 42 NN, Loma 42 Tepic, Mauka, Misika, Piaf, River Cafe, Taormina, Táu and Tuna Blanca. In practice, the opening night puts close to the whole festival under one roof for the price of one ticket. If you only go to one festival event this year, this is the one that samples the most kitchens.
TierraLuna Gardens has hosted the opening before. Vallarta Daily's 2025 festival coverage put that year's opening there as well. Returning guests will know the setting. What's new is the name, Grand Gourmet Village, and the all-included format.
The Safari runs from Km 7.5 to Km 17.5
On Monday, November 16, the Gourmet Safari Costa Sur starts at 6:00 p.m. It's a five-course dinner with curated wine pairings and premium spirits, split across Le Kliff, Amixtli and Karuma, and it's listed at $2,900. Set out by kilometer marker, the route looks like this:
- Karuma, Km 7.5. Inside TierraLuna Gardens at Garza Blanca Preserve, as both its festival profile and Karuma's own location page confirm. Its festival profile lists Daniel Ibarra as the restaurant's chef.
- Amixtli, Km 9.5. At Xalli Club, Zona Hotelera Sur. Its guest chef is listed as Xavier Pérez Stone, who went on to found Axiote, Cocina de México. The festival program spells his first name "Javier."
- Le Kliff, Km 17.5. The festival profile and Le Kliff's own site both give Km 17.5 on the road to Barra de Navidad. Its guest chef is Chris Marín of Cultivo, a project based in Puebla.
The festival's page doesn't yet say which restaurant serves which course, where the evening starts, or whether transportation between stops is included. As of mid-October, both the product page and the tickets page list the Safari as "Coming Soon." For an evening that spans ten kilometer markers of coastal road after dark, the transport answer will matter most to people deciding whether to buy. Check before you commit to driving.
Le Kliff, at Km 17.5, is the farthest stop down the coast. Karuma, at Km 7.5, is the lowest kilometer marker on the route. It's also the one place that appears on both the opening-night and Safari schedules.
The host restaurant on Los Muertos Beach
Opening night and the Safari both take place on the South Shore. One host restaurant on the 2026 list sits on Los Muertos Beach instead. El Dorado's official address is Púlpito 102, Col. Emiliano Zapata, on Los Muertos Beach. It serves lunch from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 11:00 p.m.
The festival has a profile page for El Dorado describing it as a Los Muertos Beach restaurant. As of mid-October, that profile doesn't list a festival dinner date, price or guest chef. A host restaurant without a posted date is a common sight on the program right now. The festival labels its online 2026 program "Tentative," and several restaurant pages still don't name a visiting chef. If you want a festival evening on Los Muertos Beach, keep an eye on that page.
The calendar, South Shore first
Here are the South Shore and Los Muertos Beach dates, alongside two marquee events elsewhere in the city that are easy to plan around.
| Date | Event | Where | Price | Status in mid-October |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 12, 7:00 p.m. | Grand Gourmet Village, opening night | TierraLuna Gardens, Garza Blanca Preserve, Km 7.5 | $2,200 MXN | On sale |
| Mon., Nov. 16, 6:00 p.m. | Gourmet Safari Costa Sur | Karuma, Km 7.5 · Amixtli, Km 9.5 · Le Kliff, Km 17.5 | $2,900 | "Coming Soon" |
| Tue., Nov. 17, 6:00 p.m. + a second seating | Night of the Stars | Café des Artistes | $3,900 MXN | On sale |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | BBQ & Wine, Puerto Vallarta closing | Velas Vallarta | $2,800 MXN | Listed |
| Date not yet posted | Festival dinner | El Dorado, Púlpito 102 | Not yet posted | Profile only |
The festival's own pages disagree on two of these rows. For Night of the Stars, the program lists seatings at 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., but the ticket page offers 6:00 and 8:30 p.m. That dinner brings two guest chefs to Café des Artistes: Esteban Lluis of Damiana in Valle de Guadalupe and Rodrigo Rivera Río of Koli in Monterrey. For BBQ & Wine, the program places the beachfront barbecue on Saturday, November 21, with pitmaster Víctor Howard, founder of Pitmaker in Texas, and more than 60 wine labels. The event's ticket page still prints November 21, 2025. Confirm the time and date on whichever page you buy from.
The festival closes in Tepic, where Picnic Under the Parotas takes place on November 22, priced at $1,870 MXN and served by Loma 42 Tepic, Loma 42 Bahía and Emiliano Tepic. Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf is a separate event, marking its 15th edition from November 5 to 8, the week before the festival opens.
Planning around Km 7.5
The two south-shore events fall on a Thursday and a Monday. Neither is a weekend night, and that may make the drive easier. TierraLuna Gardens shows up twice, on November 12 as the opening venue and on November 16 as Karuma's home. That makes it the one festival address on the south shore worth getting to know before the season starts, whether you buy tickets to one night, both, or just book a regular dinner at Karuma afterward.
Two items that matter for the second half of the festival haven't been posted yet. One is the Safari's ticket release, with its course order and transport details. The other is El Dorado's festival dinner date on Los Muertos Beach. Both will appear on festivalgourmet.com.mx, which is the place to check before booking. The tourism board's event listing gives different restaurant and chef totals than the festival's own site.
When we value homes, distance to restaurants and resorts like these is part of what a south-side address offers. If you'd like to talk through how the South Shore factors into a property you own or are considering, Daniel Alvarez and our team would be glad to hear from you. Get in Touch.