From Michelin-starred chefs and international culinary festivals to Día de Muertos feasts, volcanic wines, Pacific seafood and mountain-grown coffee, fall and early winter offer a delicious reason to discover Nayarit.
NAYARIT, Mexico — Sept. 15, 2026 — There are many ways to discover Nayarit. This fall, one of the best may be through its food.
From October into the holiday season, Mexico’s Pacific coast state becomes a gathering place for celebrated chefs, winemakers, mixologists and food lovers, with a calendar of festivals, special dinners and resort experiences stretching from Riviera Nayarit to the state capital of Tepic.
But the season also offers travelers an opportunity to look beyond the restaurant table. Follow Nayarit’s ingredients to their source and the journey leads to fishing communities along the Pacific, coffee plantations in the mountains of Compostela, heritage corn beneath the Ceboruco volcano, vineyards near Jala and small producers preserving generations of culinary traditions.
In Nayarit, food is increasingly becoming a way to travel.
A Season of Chefs, Wine and Mexican Flavors
The season begins Oct. 4-7 with the 18th edition of Vallarta Nayarit Gastronómica, an international culinary gathering bringing Michelin-starred chefs and acclaimed culinary talent together with sommeliers, mixologists, baristas and industry leaders for demonstrations, tastings, workshops and special experiences.
The 2026 lineup includes Benito Gómez of BARDAL; Kisko García of Michelin-starred Choco in Córdoba, Spain; Rubén Sánchez of Michelin-starred Epílogo; Carlos Gaytán, the first Mexican chef to earn a Michelin star; Rodrigo Rivera Rio of KOLI in Monterrey; and other leading chefs from Mexico and abroad.
Beyond showcasing culinary talent, the event turns the spotlight toward the ingredients, producers and traditions that distinguish Mexico’s Pacific coast — from seafood and agave spirits to agricultural products grown in Nayarit’s interior.
The culinary calendar continues in November. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit will host Mexology Fest Nov. 2-3, exploring tequila, mezcal and raicilla through contemporary cocktails and sensory experiences. From Nov. 5-8, Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf brings chefs, sommeliers and winemakers together for four days combining cuisine, wine and championship golf.
Then, from Nov. 12-22, Festival Gourmet International extends the celebration across Riviera Nayarit, Tepic and neighboring Puerto Vallarta with visiting chefs, collaborative dinners, wine experiences and events highlighting the region’s access to exceptional seafood and Mexican ingredients.
Throughout the season, resorts including W Punta de Mita, One&Only Mandarina and Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit add another layer to the experience through chef-driven restaurants, locally inspired menus and special culinary programming.
Día de Muertos: When Food Becomes Memory
The season takes on a deeper cultural meaning during Día de Muertos, when food becomes part of remembrance.
Around Nov. 1 and 2, family recipes, pan de muerto, traditional sweets and favorite dishes are placed alongside candles, photographs and bright orange cempasúchil flowers on altars honoring loved ones who have died.
Across Nayarit, the tradition takes different forms. Travelers may encounter community celebrations in Jala, Sayulita and San Pancho, Indigenous traditions in the Sierra, and contemporary interpretations at resorts along the Riviera Nayarit.
At W Punta de Mita, Día de Muertos will launch the resort’s new Rooted in Celebration series Oct. 31-Nov. 3. The exclusive Marriott Bonvoy Moments experience will take guests on a three-night journey incorporating regional cuisine and Mexican spirits with cultural experiences, wellness rituals, live entertainment and an intimate multi-course dinner.
At Conrad Punta de Mita, Día de Muertos marks the beginning of the festive season with altars, Catrinas and regional sweets alongside culinary experiences inspired by the Pacific coast. Resorts throughout Punta Mita and Mandarina also bring the holiday to the table through special menus, pan de muerto, cocktails and interpretations of Mexican culinary traditions.
For travelers, it is a reminder that in Mexico, recipes can carry memories just as powerfully as photographs.
Thanksgiving, With a Pacific Coast Accent
Just a few weeks later, another holiday brings families and friends back around the table.
Thanksgiving in Riviera Nayarit pairs familiar North American traditions with the ingredients, flavors and setting of Mexico’s Pacific coast. Resorts reinterpret the holiday through beachfront dinners, seasonal menus and locally sourced ingredients.
W Punta de Mita will mark Thanksgiving with a special seasonal dinner, while Conrad Punta de Mita incorporates gourmet dining and local ingredients into its holiday programming.
At One&Only Mandarina, celebrated Mexican chef Enrique Olvera will host a Thanksgiving celebration at Carao, where the restaurant’s culinary identity draws inspiration from coastal Mexican cooking and locally sourced ingredients.
The turkey may still make an appearance, but this is Thanksgiving with a sense of place: Pacific seafood, Mexican corn, local produce, agave spirits and the perspective of chefs cooking within one of Mexico’s most diverse culinary landscapes.
Beyond the Resort: Follow the Ingredients
For all the celebrated chefs and special events, some of Nayarit’s most memorable culinary experiences begin by leaving the resort behind.
Along the coast, generations of fishing communities have shaped a cuisine built around shrimp, oysters, ceviches, aguachiles and the state’s signature pescado zarandeado — butterflied fish traditionally seasoned and grilled over an open fire.
Dried and fried shrimp tell another story of coastal life, reflecting traditional methods used to preserve the Pacific harvest and ingredients that continue to appear in home cooking, markets and regional dishes.
Travel inland and the flavors change.
In the Pueblo Mágico of Jala, beneath the Ceboruco volcano, an extraordinary local variety of corn can produce ears of remarkable size. The town celebrates that agricultural heritage each year during its Feria del Elote, while local kitchens transform corn into tortillas, tamales, gorditas and oversized tostadas topped with ceviche and other regional preparations.
The surrounding agricultural communities also contribute dairy products and other ingredients to a culinary landscape dramatically different from the coast.
Yes, Nayarit Has Wine Country
One of the state’s more unexpected flavors can be found in the highlands outside Jala.
Meseta del Cielo, Nayarit’s first vineyard, grows grapes including Syrah and Macabeo in the mountain environment surrounding the Ceboruco volcano. Visitors can walk through the vineyard, learn about production and taste wines close to where the grapes are grown.
The vineyard creates an unexpected pairing for travelers: a morning exploring Jala and its corn traditions followed by an afternoon tasting Nayarit wine against a volcanic backdrop.
Coffee in the Mountains of Compostela
Farther west, the mountains around the Pueblo Mágico of Compostela tell their story through coffee.
Nayarit’s Coffee and Tobacco Route introduces visitors to growers and producers, taking travelers into agricultural landscapes to learn how coffee moves from plant to cup.
Rather than simply ordering another coffee at breakfast, visitors can walk among the plants, learn about cultivation and roasting, participate in tastings and purchase directly from producers.
It is a simple experience that changes the relationship between traveler and ingredient: suddenly, that cup of coffee has a landscape, a producer and a story behind it.
Traditional Sweets, Spirits and Flavors to Take Home
Nayarit’s culinary identity can also be found in the smaller things encountered along the way.
Traditional candies and sweets preserve family recipes incorporating ingredients such as milk, coconut, nuts and regional fruits. Raicilla and other locally produced spirits tell stories of agave, landscape and generations of distilling knowledge. Markets reveal dried seafood, regional ingredients and products that rarely appear on a resort menu.
Together, they create a culinary journey that stretches from internationally recognized restaurants to farms, fishing communities, vineyards, coffee plantations and family businesses.
That may ultimately be the most compelling reason to experience Nayarit through food.
A traveler can sit down to a dinner prepared by an internationally recognized chef one evening and meet the person growing coffee in the mountains the next morning. They can attend a sophisticated wine dinner in Punta Mita and then walk through a vineyard beneath a volcano. They can taste a chef’s interpretation of Pacific seafood and, the following day, eat pescado zarandeado beside the water where the tradition began.
In Nayarit, the table is only the beginning of the journey.
###
About Nayarit
Located on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Nayarit brings together more than 200 miles of coastline with mountains, volcanoes, islands, historic communities and nine Pueblos Mágicos. Beyond the beaches of Riviera Nayarit, visitors can discover Indigenous cultures, community-based tourism, gastronomy, surfing, birding, adventure, wellness, artisans and agricultural traditions that connect travelers with the people and landscapes of the state.
About ENroute Communications
ENroute Communications is an award-winning travel and tourism communications agency specializing in public relations, destination marketing, travel trade representation and strategic partnerships throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. ENroute represents destinations, hotels and tourism organizations through integrated campaigns connecting clients with leading media, travel advisors, tour operators and industry partners while developing stories and experiences designed to inspire travel.
Media Contact:
Gustavo Rivas
ENroute Communications
gustavo@enroutecommunications.com
