Costa Rica prepares for presidential inauguration in downtown San José

Preparations are almost complete for tomorrow’s presidential inauguration in Costa Rica. Unlike recent inaugurations in the country’s National Stadium, tomorrow’s event will take place in the heart of the city at the open-air Plaza de la Democracia, a public space next to the National Museum in downtown San José.

Carlos Alvarado – who, at 38, will become the youngest president in modern Costa Rican history tomorrow – chose the location for the ceremony, which will begin at 9 am. Alvarado, known for his love of rock music (and in particular, the Canadian band “Rush”) also chose to close his Inauguration Day with a concert that will start at 4 pm at the Plaza de la Democracia and feature groups from around the country including Malpaís and Masterkey.

Alvarado will travel to the ceremony from the Museum of Costa Rican Art in La Sabana Park in a hydrogen-powered bus designed by Ad Astra Rocket Company, founded by Costa Rican-U.S. astronaut Franklin Chang.

While May 8 is not a national holiday, josefinos should plan as if it were one: the government has given the day off to all its employees for the occasion, and some private businesses have followed suit because downtown streets will be shut down. Call ahead before attempting, well, much of anything in the capital, and avoid travel to the city center.

As always, stay tuned to ticotimes.net for the latest tomorrow.