San Jose is in a celebratory mood with both the Central American Games and the Festival Transitarte happening concurrently this month.
The Central American Games are being celebrated in San Jose from March 3-17. The opening ceremonies were marred when a rogue firework set the the roof of the National Stadium on fire. Yikes! Luckily, no one was injured. Early this Saturday morning the speed walkers took to the streets – we saw them at around 7 a.m. and they were already 40 minutes into the race. At the moment, San Jose is 3rd place in medal standings (after El Salvador and Guatemala).
Translated, this advertising for the games says “We are hosts.”
The city is also hosting the annual summer festival of the arts called Transitarte this weekend (March 8-10). Streets have been closed to traffic and, along with several city parks, have been taken over by artisans, musicians, food vendors, and more. For those who like numbers, the festival features an impressive 500 artists on stage, 108 craftsmen, and 20 writers.
Within blocks of one another are 3 stages featuring a variety of music, both day and night, from salsa to rock to alternative. Salsa is, of course, a crowd pleaser. Concert attendees ‘cut loose’ last night and danced with such amazing skill and speed, they were as much a part of the entertainment as the musicians on stage.
This particular stage in Parque Morazan is historically significant for its concrete bandstand (Templo de la Musica). Inspired by the temple in Versailles, France, it was inaugurated in 1920 and is known for its architectural beauty as well as its acoustics.
Tents started being set up a week ago in Parque Nacional for the artisan market featuring jewellery, jams, masks, clothing, purses, chocolate, paintings and so much more.
Once again, San Jose proves itself as a vibrant, fun, and culturally rich city. They certainly deserve the title “hosts”!
Awesome blog! Thanks for the insight.
Ditto!!!!