10,000 people turn up for fifteenth birthday party in Mexico

A MAN has been killed at a birthday party of a 15-year-old girl that saw 10,000 people turn up after the invite went viral.

People came as Rubi to her own party. Picture: AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT

TRAGEDY has struck at a lavish birthday celebration attended by 10,000 people after a man was killed by a horse.

The death occured after an enormous crowd turned out on Boxing Day to celebrate the 15th birthday of Rubi Ibarra, a small-town Mexican girl. An invitation for the party went viral and attracted 1.3 million potential guests online.

However two men were injured after entering a race track that had been installed at the lavish celebration.

“Two people entered the track and were hit by the horses... One of them died and the other was hospitalized with a broken leg,” the state of San Luis de Potosi in a statement.

The 66-year-old man who died reportedly owned one of the horses taking part, according to local media.

A man has died after being hit by a horse on a race track at the event. Picture: AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT

Girls’ 15th birthday parties are often a huge affair in Latin America, when families pull out all the stops to welcome them to womanhood.

But Rubi’s “quinceanera” party took the phenomenon to a whole new level, after the invite became an offbeat internet sensation.

“We found out through social media and we said ‘Let’s go. Everyone is invited? Let’s go,” said Tania Rodriguez, who travelled five hours by car to attend the party held in a large field in Villa de Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosi state.

Thousands attend #mexican girl's party after viral invitation...#Rubi was accompanied by her parents to an open-air Mass pic.twitter.com/mD4ooxEiuE

— abc (@SAWHNEY62) December 27, 2016

Superstar for the day. Picture: AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT

Visitors pose for souvenir pictures at the site of a Mass at the party that was more like a festival. Picture: AP Photo/Enric Marti

“With all the coverage on her, Rubi felt like part of the family,” added her husband, Gonzalo Torres, before heading off in search of “more beer.”

About 10,000 partygoers of all ages came to see Rubi, who danced the night away in a flouncy, floral princess gown with a dramatic red skirt.

The teen was the centre of attention on a large rock concert-style stage set up in the field. The evening featured fireworks, a huge banquet and a concert broadcast on a giant screen.

Rubi danced with friends, as well as the men of her family, receiving a rose from each, in keeping with tradition.

“We are patient, we are patient. And we are going to camp here until we see her close up,” guest Rosalina Conpian said.

Fifteenth birthdays in Mexico are more like the ‘sweet 16’ event in the US. Picture: AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT

An estimated 10,000 people turned up for the party. Picture: AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT

INVITE GOES VIRAL

“Hi, how’s it going? We would like to invite you this December 26 to our daughter Rubi Ibarra Garcia’s 15th birthday party in La Joya,” her dad, Crescencio, said in the video invitation.

Dressed in a cowboy hat typical of northern Mexico, he ticked off the names of the bands that would play at the party and announced a horse race with a 10,000-peso prize (about $500), as his wife and the now-famous Rubi stood at his side.

“Everyone” is invited, he said.

About 1.3 million Facebook users took the invitation to heart and replied that they would attend the party originally set to be in La Joya, a village of 200 people near the city of San Luis Potosi.

“This all got out of control,” Crescencio said in one of the many media interviews he has since been asked to give.

“That doesn’t mean we didn’t want to invite everyone, of course, but here our parties are regional ... This is something we weren’t expecting.” Rubi fielded numerous interviews herself, becoming something of a national sensation with her dark hair, cute smile and braces.

A horde of media and a drone attended the event. Picture: AP Photo/Enric Marti.

An airline turned the commotion into free publicity, offering discount tickets to get to the party. And a video game has emerged in which a teenage girl runs down a red carpet, tossing invitations to all and sundry.

The family said they were originally expecting around 800 people for the party. Local authorities moved it to a large open field and sent a security detail for what Mexican media were calling “the party of the year.” Not everyone in Mexico finds it amusing, though.

“This has taken on completely scandalous proportions,” said Mercedes Poire, head of the Center for Public Opinion at the Universidad Del Valle de Mexico.

“We face the gigantic risk of falling into a society of the absurd.”