Popularity has long been a conundrum for festival organizers, as throngs of Costa Ricans, expats, and international travelers cram into a small patch of rain forest and beach.
The Big Band’s concert on Feb. 28 promises to be a smorgasbord of different songs and styles, from Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” to Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” Percy Mayfield’s “Hit the Road Jack,” and Kander and Ebb’s “New York, New York.”
While down-home music is the main event, the Blues Festival is also a fundraiser for two community organizations, Casa Brasilito and Abriendo Mentes, which offer young students education in literacy, technology, music and visual arts.
Set in rural Spain in the first part of the 20th century, “Blood Wedding” concerns a love triangle between an unnamed bride, an unnamed groom, and a seductive interloper named Leonardo Felix.
The Festival began in 2012 as a project of the Costa Rican Center for Cinematographic Production, inspired by various film festivals taking place in both Latin America and Europe. Its mission: to bring audiovisual art forms to parts of Costa Rica beyond the Central Valley.
“We want to provide a home for artists, actors, poets, writers and book buffs. It’s for newcomers who need experience, but it’s also a place for everyone,” co-founder Rebeca Bolaños told The Tico Times.
The next Urban Sketchers event takes place on Feb. 21 and follows the usual pattern: Artists gather together at 9 p.m. in front of the Post Office in downtown San José. They then roam the city as a group, set up their drawing pads, and draw whatever intrigues them.
While the two screenings have no relationship to each other, they share a lot of common themes: simple lifestyles, healthy coexistence, and the contrary pressures of industrial culture.
