The Playa del Carmen Fair is a summer event that many locals and expats look forward to all year! The Fair will usually take place at some point in July and runs for a little over a week! During that time the streets around Wal-Mart are closed down and packed up with rides, food vendors, craft and merchandise vendors, and entertainment areas. This is normal for any fair that you will find in your own home town but anywhere you go each place will bring its own Flare! Mexico certainly brings its own and I want to show you some of the ways we do it.
The Rides
Let’s start with the rides. There is a nice selection of easy going or thrilling rides both for adults and kits. Of course you will find the ever so famous BIG WHEEL; most know it as the Ferris Wheel! This is a common ride among fairs everywhere and is sort of the landmark of the whole event! Another favorite in the Playa Fair is the sky ride where many people wait in line for hours to take a ski slope type trip through a couple blocks of the town center. Other rides include some fast adult thrillers whipping you around and upside down and some fun picks for the kids!
Games & Shows
If rides are not your thing there are plenty of other things to keep you busy! There are many games to play that will offer prizes for the winners. Also there is a special entertainment tent where you can see many different kinds of shows put on locals in the community including dance and music which in most cases is rich in culture!
Shopping
There are plenty of shopping opportunities for local products and handcrafts. This is a good place to find a cheap colorful pair of shades, some nice decorative Mexican handcraft, plenty of jewelry, even shoes! And that is just to name a few!
Mmmm … Food!
Now everyone’s favorite Fair subject! The FOOD! A fair would not be a fair without traditional fair food. Depending on where you come from the food may change but the craze and eagerness to eat delicious things will stay the same.
Some common and traditional foods include corn on the cob that is smothered with mayo, parmesan cheese, lime and chili! Also, churros which in my opinion are another version of a fried dough covered in sugar; they are simply amazing.
How many ways can you cook a banana? Well at the fair you can fry it either to a crisp like chips and eat them as such or until soft and sweet to smother it in a sweet vanilla crème sauce called Lechera! Either way you are in for a treat!
Now on to the marquesitas! Marquesitas are made with a batter almost like a crepe but when cooked the dough gets crunch like a soft waffle cone filled with cheese or sweets like nutella or sweet caramel.
Don’t have a sweet tooth? Well that’s ok. There are like three different ways to eat hot dogs. Try them small and cut up with fries, traditional or make it a corn dog! Here in Mexico we like variety! Other traditional whole foods include hamburgers and of course tacos and quesadillas!!! It is likely you will arrive home nice and full!
But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait until next July for these delicious treats because it’s likely you will see them again in February when Playa holds its annual carnival event!
To see some great photos of this year’s event please visit our album on Facebook
-by Bea Lozano
