Every Semana Santa los chilangos (a mucha honra!) — residents of mega metropolis Mexico City – pack their bags en masse and set out on highways towards the more exotic locales of Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, among others. For the entire week, one can walk down busy Paseo de la Reforma and see virtually no one. But what of those who can’t afford to leave town? Mexico City’s local government’s got a pseudobeach just for them:

More images after the jump.

According to Mexico’s El Universal, the artificial beach in the city’s Villa Olímpica neighborhood — created with 170 tons of sand and equipped with a go-cart rink and ponies — received over 5 thousand visitors today when it was inaugurated by the city’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, seen below:

Well, it looks like it’s nothin’ but a party…but not so fast. City officials are only allowing visitors to stay at the beach — the first of four planned for Mexico City — for 2 hours, and the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.

Via / El Universal (Venezuela) and El Universal (Mexico)

Images: Jorge Villalpando and Sergio Suarez, ElUniversal.com.mx