I’ve recently gotten multiple inquiries about which Riu resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya are official RiuParty properties, what parties occur on what days, and what time these parties occur…well, I have the answers to your questions so I thought I’d make it public for everyone to know.

Before I get into the details, just a bit of info about Riu parties…The concept originally began in May 2018 at Hotel Riu Santa Fe located in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as a test run site. While it immediately took off as another reason to love vacationing at Riu resorts, the 2020 pandemic shut down resorts which ended the parties.

Riu decided to once again try the RiuParty experience.  The resort chain currently offers these themed parties in seven countries at 40 Riu resorts.  These events are provided for free courtesy of Riu, but the catch is you have to be staying at a nearby Riu resort to attend the party!  Riu guests are invited to help celebrate whether you are staying at an upgraded Hotel Riu Palace resort or not, and transportation to and from the event from your hotel location is also provided free of charge.  Some RiuParty locations have extra amenities for upgraded Riu Palace guests, so check at the RiuParty resort to see what’s available if you are staying at a Riu Palace resort.

Different resorts offer slightly different Riu theme party experiences–the theme of the party may be the same, but the setting may be different.  For example, I recently attended a Neon Party at Hotel Riu Tequila when I was staying at Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya; the event was held indoors and was a blast, but the experience would be much different than a Neon party held at Hotel Riu Caribe which is held outdoors.  All of Riu Caribe’s parties are held poolside with partiers being both poolside and in the water–overhead blasts of fog as well as foam gives those present a much different party experience.

Also, Riu is planning on adding VIP areas to all theme parties; these areas offer provided seating and bottle service.  Hotel Riu Caribe already has them available for party guests–you need to sign up for them when at the resort, you cannot sign up ahead of time.  I would imagine that VIP amenities are an extra cost.

That being said, here’s the Cancun resorts designated as official RiuParty properties:

Cancun’s Hotel Zone:  Hotel Riu Caribe.  Other Riu resort guests invited are those staying at Hotel Riu Palace Peninsula (that property is right next door to Riu Caribe), Hotel Riu Palace Las Americas, Hotel Riu Palace Kukulkan and Hotel Riu Cancun.

Costa Mujeres (this area is north of downtown Cancun):  Hotel Riu Dunamar.  Other Riu resort guests invited are those staying at Hotel Riu Palace Costa Mujeres (that property is right next door to Riu Dunamar), and Hotel Riu Latino.  Riu Latino is a fairly new Riu resort in the area that is adults-only with its own water park, an unusual combo for Riu.

Playacar (this is a gated community just south of Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya):  Hotel Riu Tequila. Other Riu resort guests invited are those staying at Hotel Riu Palace Mexico (that property is right across the street from Riu Tequila), Hotel Riu Yucatan (that property is right next to Riu Palace Mexico), Hotel Riu Playacar, Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya, and Hotel Riu Lupita.

Riu offers several party themes–Jungle, Pink, White, and Neon parties.  Pink and White partiers often come prepared with pink or white outfits, or an article of clothing with the color of the designated party theme.  Face painting pre or during these parties is common so you can also look the part!

Riu theme parties are not always adults-only.  Riu has designated a few family-friendly resorts to offer what the hotel chain calls “Riu Get Together Parties” in addition to their theme status; that means children are invited to those theme parties as well.  Resorts in this part of Mexico offering these get together parties are Hotel Riu Dunamar, and Hotel Riu Tequila.  Pool parties will always be adults-only even if the resort is family-friendly.  Hotel Riu Caribe is one such resort since their parties are poolside.

Here’s a schedule of the parties held at the previously mentioned host resorts:

Hotel Riu Caribe, Pool Parties, Adults Only:  Daytime parties–Jungle Party on Mondays from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Pink Party on Fridays from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Evening parties–White Party on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Neon Party on Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Hotel Riu Dunamar, Get Together Party, family-friendly:  White Party and Neon Parties are held on alternating Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.  No daytime parties are offered.

Hotel Riu Tequila, Get Together Party, family-friendly:  White Party and Neon Parties are held on alternating Fridays from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.  No daytime parties are offered.

If I’ve forgotten anything just let me know in the comments below.  Here is a short video showing some footage from Riu parties at Hotel Riu Caribe…like at any party, it gets more fun the later the party goes and how much alcohol gets consumed…have fun at your Riu party!