<p>A huge crowd turned out to celebrate the 15th birthday of Rubi Ibarra, a small-town Mexican girl -- though fewer than the 1.3 million people who said they were coming after the invitation went viral online.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Girls' 15th birthday parties are often a huge affair in Latin America, when families pull out all the stops to welcome them to womanhood.<br /><br />But Rubi's "quinceanera" party took the phenomenon to a whole new level, after the invite became an offbeat internet sensation.<br /><br />"We found out through social media and we said 'Let's go. Everyone is invited? Let's go," said Tania Rodriguez, who traveled five hours by car to attend the party held in a large field in Villa de Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosi state.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The teen was the center 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.<br /><br />Rubi danced with friends, as well as the men of her family, receiving a rose from each, in keeping with tradition.<br /><br />"We are patient, we are patient. And we are going to camp here until we see her close up," guest Rosalina Conpian said.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />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 USD 500), as his wife and the now-famous Rubi stood at his side.<br />"Everyone" is invited, he said.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"This all got out of control," Crescencio said in one of the many media interviews he has since been asked to give.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Rubi fielded numerous interviews herself, becoming something of a national sensation with her dark hair, cute smile and braces.<br /><br />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. </p>
<p>A huge crowd turned out to celebrate the 15th birthday of Rubi Ibarra, a small-town Mexican girl -- though fewer than the 1.3 million people who said they were coming after the invitation went viral online.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Girls' 15th birthday parties are often a huge affair in Latin America, when families pull out all the stops to welcome them to womanhood.<br /><br />But Rubi's "quinceanera" party took the phenomenon to a whole new level, after the invite became an offbeat internet sensation.<br /><br />"We found out through social media and we said 'Let's go. Everyone is invited? Let's go," said Tania Rodriguez, who traveled five hours by car to attend the party held in a large field in Villa de Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosi state.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The teen was the center 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.<br /><br />Rubi danced with friends, as well as the men of her family, receiving a rose from each, in keeping with tradition.<br /><br />"We are patient, we are patient. And we are going to camp here until we see her close up," guest Rosalina Conpian said.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />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 USD 500), as his wife and the now-famous Rubi stood at his side.<br />"Everyone" is invited, he said.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"This all got out of control," Crescencio said in one of the many media interviews he has since been asked to give.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Rubi fielded numerous interviews herself, becoming something of a national sensation with her dark hair, cute smile and braces.<br /><br />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. </p>