Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - From April 26 through May 12th, almost 500 dancers from eight Mexican states and four guest countries will participate in the Eighth Annual Festival Vallarta Azteca del Folclor (Puerto Vallarta International Folkloric Dance Festival,) according to organizer Juan Antonio Salcedo Padilla.

Out of the 98 dance troupes that auditioned, only 17 were selected, with the national groups coming from Aguascalientes, Nuevo León, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Baja California, Guanajuato, Chiapas and Quintana Roo, and the State of Mexico, and international dance companies coming from India, Poland, Colombia and Bolivia.

"As a result of the folkloric festivals having such a strong a national impact, this year all of the groups will be bringing their own musicians. Some are professionals that belong to the national institutions, but other groups will be bringing independent musicians to Puerto Vallarta and the other municipalities where they'll be performing during this year's festival," Salcedo Padilla said at a press conference earlier this week.

The fun starts at 6 pm on Saturday, April 26th with a Grand Parade down the Malecón to Los Arcos Amphitheater, where the Opening Ceremony will be held. This will be followed by a variety of dance performances that represent true Mexican culture every evening through April 29th.

A distinctive feature of this festival is that, in addition to the main stage at Los Arcos del Malecón amphitheater in downtown Puerto Vallarta, there will also be free performances at other venues in the greater Banderas Bay region, including Marina Vallarta and the main plazas of Colonias Pitillal and INFONOVAT.All performances at Los Arcos begin at 8 pm. Those taking place in other venues begin at 7 pm, except for the Saturday evening show in El Pitillal, which begins at 9 pm.

These performances are free and not to be missed! The traditional, bright and multi-colored costumes represent a great part of Mexico's history and culture. If you are searching for something to do this weekend, be sure and add this to your list!

From April 29 to May 5 free performances will be held in the main plazas of Bahía de Banderas, Tomatlán, El Tuito, Sahuayo, Mazamitla, Cihuatlán, and Colima. The tour 2014 ends on May 12.

More information, photos from past Vallarta Folkloric Festivals, and a complete schedule of this year's events can be found on the Festival Vallarta Azteca del Folclor Internacional Facebook page.