It’s Monday morning again and another weekend has gone by all too quickly. It’s April already and yesterday the clocks sprang forth an hour with the time change, finally catching up to the rest of the continent who did it three weeks ago.

Time changes should not be allowed the weekend of Motorcycle Week. I went to the parade on Saturday and was totally blown away by the number of bikes that had invaded Mazatlan for this event. MazatlanCity.com claims that over 20,000 bikers were here. The Malecon was completely closed off to traffic Saturday afternoon and evening as the cyclists made their way from the aquarium to Olas Altas. I’ve been to parades in my life, but have never seen anything like this before.

Thousands of people lined the streets hours ahead of time in anticipation of this event. Hawkers circulated amongst the crowd selling ice cream, donuts, chips, balloons, cotton candy, bandanas, candy and anything else you can imagine. The beaches were all but deserted as the parade was THE place to be on Saturday.

Motorcycle week also involved much more than a parade. For 450 pesos, a wrist band admitted you to the grounds for four days of music and displays. (You also received a t-shirt.) There were also events on the beach such as pole dancing contests and bikini contests. Hotels and restaurants were overwhelmed with people, and of course traffic was a nightmare. And the noise of these bikes !!!!!!!!

Here are some pics I snapped during the parade:

The bikes are gone now, the roar of engines a fading memory, and the streets are no longer parking lots due to traffic jams. The outdoor band concerts and the numerous displays are done for this year. Many locals tend to run away from Mazatlan during Motorcycle Week. Not me! I can hardly wait until next year!