Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva to host ArteViva festival this weekend

Businesses and residents of the Southern Caribbean communities of Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva will open their doors and hearts to the public Sept. 22-25 for the ArteViva art and music festival.

The annual festival was created in 2006 and is sponsored by the Southern Caribbean Arts School (EDACS), whose mission is to provide education and art opportunities to underprivileged children in Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean communities.

“There are many ways to explore social situations and problems. We use art and have seen that a lot of kids in this area have talent and inspiration,” said Claudio Ambroso, EDACS president and organizer of the festival.

New this year is a partial change in location; activities will take place in both Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva, about eight kilometers south of town.

The four-day event will feature exhibitions and demonstrations in painting, sculpture, ceramics, cooking and other crafts, as well as a variety of concerts. Musical guests for this year’s event include Kawa Vibrations, Casco Obligatorio, Santos y Zurdo and bands from local schools. Athletic events including basketball, volleyball and kayaking competitions will also take place.

A calypso concert will kick off the event Thursday at 7 p.m. at Costa de Papito hotel in Cocles, two kilometers south of Puerto Viejo. The festival officially begins Friday, Sept. 23, with free yoga classes at 8:30 a.m. at Om Yoga Center in Cocles.

“People here appreciate art. Through the years we have been doing this festival, the message has always been beauty and understanding through art. I can tell that the message is really starting to go through,” Ambroso said.

Events are free, but donations toward EDACS’ projects are appreciated. Participating artisans will be selling art, jewelry and handicrafts at the festival. For a full schedule of events, visit www.arteviva-puertoviejo.com.