In December 2025, the Festival de la Luz ran as a closed loop around Parque Metropolitano La Sabana. On December 12, 2026, it moves back downtown, starting at Plaza de la Democracia and finishing at Torre Mercedes on Paseo Colón. City councillors told Teletica that this is the parade's third route in three years.
That route is only part of what will fill central San José this month. Two organizers are building the season this year. They work separately, and they keep coming back to the same handful of streets and squares. For anyone who lives near Paseo Colón, Avenida Segunda or La Sabana, the map shapes December more than any single event does.
Two programs, built separately
The Municipalidad de San José runs the Festival de la Luz and its Mes de la Luz, a program that lights up public plazas in the city center with Christmas themes. The Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud runs Es Tiempo de Compartir. This season of concerts, fairs, theater and parades lasts 39 days, from November 19 to December 27, and is sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Seguros and Kölbi.
Teletica reported that the two offices are preparing their own year-end agendas while they disagree about coordination and the use of public spaces. The mayor's office confirmed that the Festival de la Luz will go ahead. For a resident, that means two calendars on the same streets. Together they produce more events than either would alone.
The downtown corridor that carries four parades
Between December 1 and December 27, four parades move through central San José. Three of them use Paseo Colón, and Plaza de la Democracia serves as a starting or finishing point for three.
| Date | Event | Organizer | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Dec. 1, from 6 p.m. | Parade of bands for the 78th anniversary of the abolition of the army | Ministry of Culture | South corner of Cine Variedades to Plaza de la Democracia |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Festival de la Luz | Municipalidad de San José | Plaza de la Democracia to Torre Mercedes, Paseo Colón |
| Sat., Dec. 26, 1 to 6 p.m. | Desfile del Día Nacional del Caballista, the Tope | Ministry of Culture | Plaza Víquez, Calle 11, Avenida Segunda, Paseo Colón to La Sabana |
| Sun., Dec. 27, 1 to 6 p.m. | Costa Rica de Fiesta: Desfile por las 7 provincias | Ministry of Culture | Plaza de la Democracia, Avenida Segunda, Paseo Colón to La Sabana |
The last weekend of the year is the busiest stretch. Paseo Colón carries a parade on the afternoon of December 26 and again on December 27, and both end at La Sabana. The Tope route set out in the ministry's official program runs along Calle 11 to Avenida Segunda, then follows Paseo Colón west to the park, where it closes with a concert by Costa Rican groups. Costa Rica de Fiesta follows the next day with marching bands and performances representing each of the seven provinces.
Registration for Tope riders opened on October 12 through the Museo de los Niños website. La Nación reported that the fee is ₡20,000, with 75 percent going to community bands for instruments and 25 percent to the Asociación Nacional de Sordos.
La Sabana becomes the finish line
The Festival de la Luz no longer uses La Sabana, but the ministry's season returns to the park repeatedly, with events from late November through the final weekend of the year.
- Festival de Boyeros, November 28 and 29. On Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m., the oxcart teams gather for the sesteo with dancing, a cimarrona band, the UCR marimba and concerts by the Banda Nacional de Guanacaste and SINEM. The traditional parade follows on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closes with the UNED marimba. The weekend also marks the Día Nacional de la Marimba Costarricense on November 30.
- RIDE Navideño, Sunday, December 13, from 11 a.m. This family day of workshops, music, dance, film and theater falls the morning after the Festival de la Luz. The Banda Nacional de San José plays the Christmas concert.
- Christmas concert, Friday, December 25, 3 to 8 p.m. A free Christmas Day event with activities for all ages.
- Parade arrivals, December 26 and 27. Both the Tope and Costa Rica de Fiesta finish here.
That makes December 25, 26 and 27 three straight afternoons of crowds at La Sabana. For households on the park's edge or along Paseo Colón, the days after Christmas will be the most active of the month.
What changes on December 12
The Festival de la Luz has a new route, and it also looks different. On November 4, the Municipalidad de San José awarded a ₡33.4 million contract to ANSA Publicidad S.A. for six giant inflatable figures to replace the traditional floats, El Observador reported. The figures are a dog, a Christmas cookie, a raccoon, a sloth, Santa Claus and a dinosaur. The company has 35 days from signing the contract to deliver them.
Several institutions whose floats were part of past parades are not taking part this year. CR Hoy reported that Banco Nacional, Banco Popular, Banco de Costa Rica and INS each confirmed they will not join the 2026 parade and gave their own reasons. Banco Nacional said it is moving the funds to entrepreneurship fairs and community events around the country. Banco de Costa Rica said the city told it in June that the 2026 format would feature giant balloons in place of floats.
INS is still part of the downtown holidays in other ways. As part of the city's Mes de la Luz, it will light Parque España, across from its headquarters. According to La Nación, it is also sponsoring the ministry's season with ₡54,420,000 plus VAT. So one insurer has a lit park on the city's map and its name on the ministry's program.
The quieter dates between the parades
The parades draw the crowds, but most of the ministry's season takes place indoors or in gardens a few blocks from Avenida Central. These dates fit around the corridor events:
- 506 Costa Rica Jazz Fest, November 19 to 21, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Centro de Patrimonio on Avenida Central and at CENAC. The United States is the guest country, and the lineup includes Ed Calle, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and the Big Band of the Instituto Nacional de la Música.
- Posadas de Luz, Friday, November 20, 5:30 p.m. A walking route that starts at the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural and passes Cine Variedades, the Centro de Cine, the Taller Nacional de Teatro, the Pinacoteca and the Biblioteca Nacional before ending at CENAC. Each stop has choirs and traditional Christmas food.
- VIVÍ Vitrina Visual CR, November 20 and 21 at the Antigua Aduana, with 70 selected artists plus invited names including Leda Astorga, Fabio Herrera and Otto Apuy.
- Jornada Coral Navideña, December 1 to 3 in the gardens of the Teatro Nacional. Story readings begin at 4 p.m. and the choirs at 5 p.m. The tradition is now 52 years old.
- Feria Hecho Aquí, December 4 to 6 at the Antigua Aduana, a market of Costa Rican-made goods with the Philippines as guest country.
- "Donde nace la luz," December 6 to 16 at the Teatro Nacional. This large-scale holiday production combines theater, dance and live symphonic music. Tickets run ₡2,000 to ₡10,000, and Brete cardholders get 50 percent off.
- Teatro Popular Melico Salazar facade lighting, Tuesday, December 8, 6 p.m., with fireworks, Barock, the Coro de la UCR and the Orquesta Erick Sánchez.
- Mercado Navideño, December 18 to 20, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at CENAC, with crafts, food, textiles and leather goods.
The ministry says it will post schedules and entry conditions for each activity on mcj.go.cr and its social media channels.
In practical terms, the first half of December is concentrated around Avenida Central, the Teatro Nacional and the Antigua Aduana. The parades take over Paseo Colón on December 12 and again in the final weekend, and La Sabana brings the season to a close.
If you are thinking about a home near Paseo Colón, La Sabana or the historic center, it helps to understand how these streets change from week to week across a year, beyond the view on one visit. Our advisors at Engel & Völkers Costa Rica follow San José's neighborhoods closely, and our Sámara shop can connect you with someone who knows these corridors through every season.
