Q COSTARICA — The iconic Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light), one of Costa Rica’s most beloved Christmas celebrations, could undergo a historic transformation in its 2025 edition.
The Municipality of San José confirmed that a complete change of route is underway, which would abandon the traditional route along Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda.
The Festival de la Luz, officially marking the start of Christmas in San José, originated in 1996, when the Municipality organized the first parade of floats and the country’s best bands. Along its route along Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda, the parade provided Costa Ricans with a grand spectacle of color and joy.
According to Kattia Mora Segura, interim head of the municipality’s Department of Cultural Services, the route will be a “360-degree” – a full circle around La Sabana Metropolitan Park, in a carousel-like format -, that is, a closed circuit where the floats and parades would rotate without proceeding through the center of the capital.
“This year’s route is a modification compared to previous editions; it will be around La Sabana, in carousel mode,” Mora stated during a session of the San José Municipal Council’s Finance Committee.
San José businesses express their discontent
The decision has not been without criticism. Although some celebrate the renovation of the new Festival route as an opportunity to ease traffic congestion and offer a different experience to the public, not everyone shares that enthusiasm.
Businesses located along the traditional route have expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that the modification could represent an economic impact.
The president of the Costa Rican Chamber of Restaurants (Cacore), Mauricio Rodríguez, told CR Hoy that the institution expressed its concern about the situation due to the great discontent they maintain, as he finds it difficult to understand how a change can be made after so many years of carrying out the same route.
Yorleny Córdoba, a council member for the Partido Progreso Social Democrático (PPSD), expressed concern about the impact this change could have on the licensees and merchants who traditionally benefit from the event in the city center.
Mora, who took office in August, acknowledged that the decision had already been made before her arrival at the municipality, but assured that she would convey her concerns to the other bodies responsible for organizing it.
A Reinvented Tradition
Since its creation in 1996, the Festival de la Luz has traveled approximately 3.2 km, from the Gimnasio Municipal, then along Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda, filling the heart of San José with lights, music, and color, on the evening of the second Saturday of December.
However, the proposal for 2025 would also reconfigure the spaces for the public, who could be located at different points along the Sabana perimeter, similar to what happens in other international parades with a circular format.
Although the modification is not yet final, everything indicates that the Sabana will become the new stage for the most anticipated parade of the year, marking a turning point in the history of the Festival de la Luz.
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