Mexican teen’s birthday invite goes viral, 1.2 million people plan to attend

If you're making some plans for the holidays, it seems Mexico may be worth a visit. An invite for the birthday party of a 15 year old in a rural town attracted the attention of millions after an online video by the teen’s parents unexpectedly went viral.

In the video, host Crescencio Ibarra explains how his daughter’s 15th birthday party on December 26 will be full of celebrations, food, horse races and various bands. He innocently declares that “everybody” is invited to San Luis Potosi to celebrate.

"Hello, how are you?” he says. “We invite you this December 26 to the 15th birthday party of our daughter, Rubi Ibarra Garcia.”

After listing three local bands who will perform at the party, Garcia adds that the winner of the horse race will win 10,000 pesos (US$490) as a prize.

“Everyone is cordially invited,” Garcia states at the end of the video, issuing an open invite – perhaps without fully realizing the power of his words.

More than 1.2 million people said they would attend the event on Facebook, with the video uploaded to YouTube numerous times, clocking up millions of views in the process, as well as triggering jokes, memes and even sponsorship offers for the event.

Mexicans are famous for throwing big parties known as Quinceañeras, which are commonly seen as equivalents to ‘Sweet 16’ events in the US.

On social media, however, people began using the hashtag #XvdeRubi to promote the event, with even Donald Trump, whose not exactly known for his soft approach to Mexican affairs, jokingly shown offering a free shuttle bus.

Only time will tell how many people turn up to the event but officials in the northern state aren’t taking any chances. Additional security measures are being put in place just to be on the safe side, as the small town of La Joya has only a few thousand residents.

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Congressman Roberto Segovia said he would like the Red Cross and state civil defense personnel to be deployed around the town as a precaution.

“We are offering this help, because it was something impressive, how this phenomenon grew on social media, and it has caused quite a stir in our district,” Segovia told AP. “We are contacting the family and the police forces and emergency agencies to provide security in the area.”