Christmas season in Costa Rica is here! There is a lot going on, so get your Santa hat and merry spirit ready, and let the rhythm of Christmas in Latin America dash you away!
Christmas in Costa Rica is a fun time of Christmas parades, festivals, traditional performances and concerts, and family events.
Atenas, Costa Rica will hold its annual Christmas Fair the weekend of Dec. 11, 12 and 13 in the town’s central park. It will be a weekend full of music, dance, theatrical performances, storytelling, a crafts fair and traditional foods, all culminating in the big Christmas Parade of Lights (Festival de la Luz) on Sunday, Dec. 13.
Atenas events begin at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. There will be artisans selling their crafts for Christmas, traditional foods, and music and dance going on all weekend in the park. Highlights include: a parade of huge puppets and a percussion marching band, called a Cimarrona con mascaradas from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 11; a live concert with dancing from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Dec. 11; a Christmas choral presentation from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., followed by a live concert from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Dec. 12; storytelling, live music and dance performances from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 13; and the very fun Parade of Lights with marching bands, dancers and other entertainers from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Dec. 13, followed by a live concert and fireworks show.
In Costa Rica’s capital city of San José, holiday season kicks into full cheer with the country’s biggest Parade of Lights (Festival de la Luz) on Saturday, Dec. 12. This year is the 20th anniversary. It gets started at 6:00 p.m. at the La Sabana Park with hundreds of marching bands from all over the country, horse-mounted groups, entertainers and brilliantly-lit floats performing their way down the Paseo Colon Boulevard to Second Avenue, finishing at the Cultural Plaza. One million or so persons converge on San José to attend the parade, showing up early in the day to claim their place on the sidewalk; the energy is electric with so many spectators. You can also watch the parade on national TV stations.
If you are still in town the day after Christmas, the famous San José Horse Parade, or “Tope” is a fantastic Costa Rica cultural event to see. Thousands of horses and riders from all parts of Costa Rica will prance down Paseo Colon Boulevard to La Sabana Park from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 26.
ABOUT ATENAS, COSTA RICA
The small country town of Atenas, Costa Rica is not only known as a best place to retire internationally, but also a fun vacation destination for its ideal location halfway between San José and the Central Pacific Coast. Contact Atenas Costa Rica realtors Dennis Easters and Gerardo Porras Gonzalez at Pure Life Development of Atenas for Costa Rica vacation rentals, Atenas homes for sale and Costa Rica properties for sale.
For more information about Atenas, check out the Guide to Living in Atenas, Costa Rica and the recent list of restaurants in Atenas.
Article by Shannon Farley
