joseaguilar.org

Palmares 2007

January 16, 2007 on 10:02 am | In Party | No Comments

This past weekend was the beginning of Palmares 2007, and anual fair that takes place in Palmares, Alajuela, every January. This fair is very organized, and is by far the most popular festival in Costa Rica. Annual attendance reaches up to 1 million visitors (take into account that the population of Costa Rica is around 4 millon – I think only the annual pilgrimage to Cartago beats it in attendance), and you normally run into all your acquantaces.

Palmares is around 1 hour north of San Jose – but it takes you up to 3hrs to get there this time of the year. It is an urban legend that Palmares has the highest or second-highest rate of per-capita beer consumption of any festival in the world - but I’ve seen places that make me doubt that statement. There are strong controls for drunk drivers, so what most people do (myself included) is to rent a bus to take you to/from Palmares. That way you can drink ’til you drop, and don’t worry about being busted on the way home.

This past Saturday Moenia played in one of the big bar-tents (holds around 5,000 people) on the fairground. It was an amazing concert - I love their electronic sound, and they do know how to setup a show. They also handed out “flourescent cords” and dimmed the lights, which gave the whole concert a great atmosphere. Click on any of the thumbnails in this post to see some pictures of the concert.

 

So, if you are ever in Costa Rica in the middle of January, don’t forget to check out Palmares. There’s still one weekend left (it closes next weekend with a concert by Hombres G, a spanish rock band that has been playing for over 20 years).