Throwback: The Festival de la Luz in San José

If it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas Eve in Costa Rica, you’re not alone. The pandemic has  canceled many of the year-end festivities that make the season so special.

In mid-December, San José typically illuminates with the Festival de la Luz. Thousands of Ticos pack the streets to watch lively performers, synchronized marching bands and decorative floats parade down the city’s main avenue.

There is no Festival of Lights in 2020, so we hold onto memories of years past with the hope that we may celebrate again in 2021.

Festival de la Luz 2018 in San José. (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP)

Lindsay Fendt/The Tico Times

Hard to tell which has higher wattage: this float, or its small rider's smile. AFP Photo/Ezequiel Becerra

A child watches performers at the Festival de la Luz. Nate Doughty / The Tico Times

The floats kept coming! Nate Doughty / The Tico Times

A performer on stilts in the parade. Nate Doughty / The Tico Times

One of the many floats in the parade. Nate Doughty / The Tico Times

Lindsay Fendt/The Tico Times