'San Pancho Day' Festival on the Riviera Nayarit Cat - All San Pancho
go to original September 21, 2012

A statue of Saint Francis is on the San Pancho beach malecon, where people honor him by placing flowers and food at his feet.

San Pancho, located on the Rivera Nayarit in Mexico is having its annual San Pancho Days festival starting on September 25th. The nine-day San Pancho festival honoring Saint Francis of Assisi is called Feast Day and runs from September 25th through October 4th.

The town of San Pancho in the state of Nayarit, Mexico and is named after San Francisco de Assisi or Saint Francis of Assisi. The San Pancho folks show respect for their natural environment by taking measures to preserve it, a passion of Saint Francis the town’s patron saint and also the Saint of animals and the environment. Saint Francis viewed the creatures as his family, and emphasized mankind’s role to protect and enjoy our beautiful nature and animal kingdom, which is exactly what the San Pancho full time residents, and part time residents do. A statue is on the San Pancho beach malecon, where people honor him by placing flowers and food at his feet.

The people of this amazing Riviera Nayarit tropical beach paradise take Saint Francis’ mission quite seriously, which is reflected in their various ecological programs, such as preserving endangered sea turtles with Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C and community programs in Entreamigos, the new San Pancho Birding Observatory, and school programs supporting native residents’ skill development.

As a strong Catholic country, Mexico reveres and loves its saints, and one way they celebrate this in San Pancho is by continuing the environmental conservation that Saint Francis exemplified and by holding the San Pancho Days festival in his honor every year.

Saint Francis Feast Day

This fun-filled festival includes not only Catholic masses to the patron saint but a whole lot of celebrating as well. San Pancho folks decorate their businesses and homes with festive and colorful decorations as they prepare delicious traditional foods to share with family, friends, neighbors, and curious tourists.

Every evening during this nine-day festival, a neighborhood within the town leads a candlelight procession through the streets including a parade of floats and folks dressed in amazing cultural costumes, and also costumes representing Saint Francis of Assisi and other well known Catholic figures. The parades begins in each neighborhood passing residents’ homes, leading to the final destination at the church. Once there, they receive a special blessing from the priest and a special mass with and bands and singing.

At the end of the San Pancho Days Festival, they have a Rodeo that evening, usually starting around 6pm and going into the evening. San Pancho families and friends all come to this event. It’s a really fun time for the entire family, especially the children as they are invited down into the arena to ride the clowns and see who can stay on the longest.

Party at the Plaza del Sol Town Square

The other San Pancho people from the other neighborhoods wait for the mass to end and visit with each other at the town square, Plaza del Sol, which is located across from the church. This is also where there is a carnival with rides, food, music, dancing, and shows and a lot of fun games for children, and adults. Everyone has a great time at the San Pancho Days festival.  After the end of the mass, the celebrations begin for everyone with performers, live music, and lots of dancing to celebrate Saint Francis.

San Pancho Days  surrounded by pristine beaches, crashing waves, green lush rolling hills, fruit orchards, and tropical rainforests. What a perfect environment to honor Saint Francis,  and to celebrate and bring this awareness in every year of protecting the environment and the animals that create this amazing place we know as San Pancho, ( formally, San Francisco) located on the amazing Riviera Nayarit in beautiful Mexico.

  Learn about Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde

  Learn about Entreamigos San Francisco

  Learn about San Pancho Bird Observatory

  Learn about Amigos de Jaltemba

  Learn about Jaltemba Foundation