The BPM Festival Guide to Playa Del Carmen 2017
BPM in Playa Del Carmen is a huge underground dance music festival. It attracts tens of thousands of people each year and swells the cities temporary population. If you are coming to attend BPM or wanting to escape while BPM is in Playa Del Carmen, our map will help you. The good thing is, we will update this guide each year for you. Get ready for BPM 2018!
The BPM Festival takes place usually the second week of January each year. For 2017 the dates are January 6th-15th.
Update: As you might have heard the BPM Festival’s closing party was disrupted with shooting which left five dead and about 12 injured. Here is a link to our story on the BPM shooting in Playa Del Carmen.
What is BPM?
BPM is a music festival that explores the underground sounds of dance music. This festival last for 10 days and has hundreds of known and up-and-coming DJ’s from around the world.
All through the 10-day period there are multiple locations for events and parties. These can range from a roof top clubs, beach clubs, or a special event space designed in the jungle.
The BPM Festival was first held in Playa Del Carmen in 2007 and has just had the 10th anniversary here.
Most of the parties during the day start around 12 noon and in the evening many parties start around 10:00pm and go until 6:00am.
Where is BPM held and what areas are good and bad to be in?
It is no secret that BPM parties can be loud. If you want to be in the heart of the action or avoid it, we made the following map to help you.
Our map of BPM in Playa Del Carmen and ground zero for the parties
In our map we locate where BPM takes place in Playa Del Carmen. This will help you either plan on where to stay or where not to be to avoid the BPM Festival.
The GREEN area on the map is the general area that is good to stay in Playa Del Carmen for BPM. We choose this area because it is central and allows you to walk to all the events.
The VIOLET areas in the map mark where the events will take place. This means that the areas around them will have some sound overflow. If you are planning on being in Playa Del Carmen during BPM but do not plan on attending, you should avoid these areas.
The BLUE markers are where BPM Festival events will be held and where you can buy tickets.
The RED markers are a few selected restaurants that festival goers might enjoy. These restaurants are fun, inexpensive and have good quality.
What hotels or places to stay are good for BPM?
The green area on the maps is a good place to start looking. Most likely you are not going to want an all-inclusive because a lot of the time you will be at one of the events.
Each year several hotels host the BPM Festival, and these are also good hotels to check out because they can have promotions and are also used to guest coming home and continuing the party or sleeping during the day.
Airbnb or apartment rentals for BPM
If you are looking to rent on Airbnb or any condo or apartment, make sure you follow the house rules. It is common for people coming to the BPM Festival to get one apartment for a crash pad and share it with other people. This has happened many times so rental agents and owners do several things to combat this.
- Larger security deposits are required during BPM in Playa Del Carmen.
- Inspections made during the week to see how many people are in the rental unit.
Where can you buy tickets the BPM Festival?
There are two places to purchase wristbands.
- Online at the official BPM website: www.bpmfestival.com
- In Playa Del Carmen at the ticket office on 32nd Street and Avenue Cozumel (see map).
Important note: Do not buy tickets from 3rd party sources. Don’t get burned with a fake wristband. Only buy direct.
What types of tickets are available for the BPM Festival?
- There are 3 day, 7day, and 10 day passes available to BPM.
- You can also purchase individual entrances at each event, subject to availability.
What else is there to do in Playa Del Carmen during BPM?
Most people come to enjoy the music and the many parties during the BPM Festival. Besides the events you might want some beach time or down time.
- Mamitas Beach Club is a popular beach and beach club to go to. It has a pool and always has music playing.
- Coralina Daylight Club is like a nightclub during the day. Here they have a DJ, small pool and food and drinks. This is a more upscale club so be prepared to spend like a rock star.
- Check out 5th Avenue by walking up and down it. See our 5th Avenue Guide here.
- If you are going to check out the non-BPM scene and want to see some local clubs, see our Clubbers Guide to Playa Del Carmen here.
- Relax and see some of the local bars, we have a complete guide for you as well.
- If you are looking for some other activities in Playa Del Carmen, see our guide here.
Do you have a question or comment about BPM Festival in Playa Del Carmen? Let us know in the comment section below.
About The Author
BPM is on of those love hate relationships in Playa Del Carmen. It is loved by music fans, not loved by condo owners trying to live without the noise, loved by rental units that make big money during BPM. This year seemed much smaller so I am not sure the way the event fell on the calendar or the people are getting tired of coming to it. Since it was their 10 year anniversary this year I thought it would of been bigger.
It was fun while it lasted. Lets see if BPM shows up somewhere else.
But i was reading on older posts on trip advisor about the BPM that just say to drink as much as you can at your hotel or at clubs a few block away from the beach as its much cheaper and its triple the price.
Hello Victor
Of course as you might have heard, BPM is not planning on coming back to Playa Del Carmen. But in genera drinks at many clubs are around 80/120 pesos. These are often not the best quality. So having a pre drink is not bad idea at your condo or hotel room.