Progreso, Yucatan — Intense cleaning, conditioning and lighting work is being carried out in time for Thursday’s festivities to mark the port city’s 148th anniversary.
The celebration on the malecon will start at 7 p.m. with an opening ceremony and a fashion show.
Workers have been transforming the malecon little by little for two months.
Newly planted palm trees, repaired wooden walkways, new garbage receptacles, rustic benches made from metal drums, as well as a playground have enhanced the area.
Broken street lights, abandoned for months, had made the beach unsafe, Diario de Yucatan reported.
This week the south side of the malecon was cleaned. With heavy machinery and a dump truck, mounds of sand, rubbish and debris were removed.
On the beach, cleaning went beyond removing litter. A makeshift camp set up by fishermen was relocated to a new site that the city says has a watchman, video surveillance cameras and street lighting.
The eve of the anniversary was celebrated on the Muelle de Chocolate with a “Velada Junto al Mar” (Evening by the Sea) show by expat rock/blues duo Stepp On It. More concerts are planned there Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. Food and drinks will be for sale.
