No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveFestival of Lights to illuminate city with Christmas cheer

Festival of Lights to illuminate city with Christmas cheer

By Camila Valverde

The Festival of Lights is an event full of Christmas cheer that is held every year in San José. It originated in 1996 when the San José Municipality organized the first parade. The next Festival of Lights will be Saturday, Dec. 10, and will take place between the National Gymnasium and the Plaza de la Democracia, from 6 p.m. to midnight. It has a mascarada show, marching bands, fireworks and beautifully adorned floats. 

There will be awards for some of the floats. The prize for first place is a trophy, and second and third place get a scroll. The floats that will compete for the awards are Coca-Cola, Movistar, Claro, Florida Bebidas, Importadora Monge, Kolbi, Glaxo-SmithKline, Infocoop, Banco de Costa Rica, Librería Universal, RECOPE, ICT, Children’s Hospital and San José Municipality. 

The bands can also win awards. The band awards are judged based on the best community band, best primary school student in the band, and the best high school student in the band. The prize for the winning band is a bronze star. The jury will consist of a group of people who know about visual arts, music and architecture. 

For the festival, you should bring comfortable walking shoes and comfortable clothes, depending on the temperature. Remember to not carry valuables that might get lost or stolen. If you bring children, you should bring liquids and food for a snack. Since many people go to the festival, you should arrive early to find spots where it is easier to see the floats, the mascarada, the bands and the fireworks. 

Enjoy the festival and have a wonderful holiday season! 

Costa Rican Camila Valverde, 12, is a sixth-grader at Arandú School in Escazú. She lives in Bello Horizonte.

    

Young Writers submission guidelines

The Tico Times welcomes submissions for the Young Writers column from writers 17 and younger. Submissions should be a maximum of 500 words and may be emailed to Weekend Editor Meg Yamamoto at myamamoto@ticotimes.net. Accompanying art or photos are welcome. Please include a brief bio indicating the writer’s age, nationality, school and place of residence.

Trending Now

2025 Gold Cup: Honduras Advances After Dramatic Shootout, Mexico Ends Goal Drought

Honduras, with a surprising and dramatic penalty shootout victory over Panama, and Mexico, with a lackluster win against Saudi Arabia, advanced Saturday to the...

Prisma Dental in Costa Rica Keeps Customers Happy and Smiling

I am 81 years old and have had teeth removed, bridges, and cavities fixed several times to sustain my ability to eat and function....

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

An Expat’s Take: 5 Burning Questions About Life in Costa Rica Right Now

Have you been keeping up with the various events taking place in Costa Rica? There is always something interesting going down, and here are...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica