Progreso Opens Registration for Christmas Walk on World’s Longest Pier

The annual Christmas walk along the Progreso pier returns for 2025, with registration now open for the event on December 7. This year’s walk comes with a catch: only 6,000 spots are available, and they’re filling fast.

The National Port System Administration, known as Asipona, opened registration Thursday evening for what’s officially called the Atardecer Navideño en el Puerto, or Christmas Sunset Walk in the Port. By mid-morning Friday, nearly 1,000 people had already claimed their spots, leaving roughly 5,000 tickets remaining.

Anyone interested needs to register online and check their email afterward for a QR code. That code is mandatory for entry, and there’s no way around it. The walk takes place from 4 to 6 p.m., with gates opening at 3 p.m. exclusively for registered participants.

The pier itself stretches 4 miles (6.5 km) into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the world’s longest according to Guinness World Records. Its unusual length exists because of the Yucatán’s extremely shallow coastline, where the limestone shelf extends for miles before reaching water deep enough for cargo ships and cruise vessels.

The annual event gives locals and visitors a rare chance to walk along what’s normally restricted infrastructure. During the walk, Asipona closes the pier to truck traffic that normally moves cargo between ships and the mainland. The port authority reminds participants to bring comfortable shoes and plenty of enthusiasm for walking what they call “the longest pier in the world.”

This year’s Christmas walk happens 11 days after the new elevated viaduct opened for truck traffic on November 26. The 2,000 million peso project (roughly $100 million) connects the port’s remote terminal directly to the Mérida-Progreso highway, allowing freight vehicles to bypass the city center entirely.

The event hasn’t always gone smoothly. Weather forced cancellation of the December 2023 walk when a norte shut down port operations. That walk eventually happened January 15, 2025, drawing nearly 3,500 people. Last December’s event brought out 736 walkers who enjoyed Christmas music, special lighting, and holiday characters along the route.

The December 7 walk marks a return to the tradition after those weather-related complications. Families who’ve made it a holiday ritual are grabbing their spots early this year, knowing the 6,000-person cap means tickets won’t last long.

Progreso’s massive pier has become increasingly central to Yucatán’s economy. The port welcomed 102 cruise ships between January and August this year, representing an 82% increase over the previous year. The Danish company Christiani & Nielsen built the original 2 km section between 1937 and 1941 using steel-reinforced concrete, which has withstood hurricanes for more than 80 years.

Several expansion phases added another 4.5 km between 1985 and 1989, creating the record-breaking structure visitors walk today. The pier’s 146 arches allow ocean currents to flow beneath, though beach erosion has become a concern in recent years.

For now, residents are focused on the December walk. Registration closes when all 6,000 spots fill, which could happen within days based on current demand.

If You Go

• Date: Sunday, December 7, 2025
• Time: Gates open 3 p.m., walk from 4-6 p.m.
• Registration: aplicativo.puertosyucatan.com
• Cost: Free with required QR code
• Capacity: 6,000 participants
• Requirements: Comfortable walking shoes, QR code from registration email