Festivals in Costa Rica That Showcase the Country’s Rich Traditions

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Costa Rica’s festival calendar splits into two worlds. One is old and local: masked Boruca dancers, painted ox carts, pilgrims walking to Cartago and weeks-long town fiestas. The other is newer and louder: beach electronic festivals and Envision’s yoga-and-music gathering in Uvita. The newer world is wobbling. Envision’s organizers announced on October 15, 2026, that they see no path to a 2027 edition, and BPM has had no confirmed Costa Rica edition since its cut-short 2025 run. That makes the traditional festivals in Costa Rica the safest bet for a trip. This guide covers five traditional celebrations, the BPM story, the Envision news, the music scene that remains, a February guide, the December festival of lights, year-round festivities, and the yoga question.

Best Festivals in Costa Rica for Rich Traditions

These five festivals have the deepest roots. Dates are approximate, because several are announced locally each year.

1. Fiesta de los Diablitos (Boruca and Rey Curré)

The Boruca people of southern Costa Rica hold this ritual drama every year from midnight on December 30 to January 2. The nearby community of Rey Curré holds its own version in late January or early February, with dates that change from year to year. The Spanish called Indigenous people who resisted conversion “devils,” and the Boruca adopted the name with pride. The masked diablitos represent the Boruca, a burlap-and-wood bull represents the Spanish, and the ritual retells the conquest with the Boruca prevailing. On January 2 the bull is brought down and burned.

Masks are carved from a single piece of balsa or cedar, and families share chicha, a fermented corn drink, along with tamales. The festival is free to watch, and a photo permit is sold during the event, with the money going back to the village. Treat it as a ceremony, keep your distance, and ask before photographing people up close. Lodging is limited and fills early.

2. Las Fiestas de Palmares

Held in the first half of January in Palmares, about an hour from San José, this fiesta runs for roughly two weeks. Listed events include a horseback parade called the tope, bullfights, concerts, food booths, rides, and fireworks. One tour company calls it the longest party of the year, which is promotional wording, and the beer brand Imperial is its sponsor. It is a good window into rural Costa Rican cowboy culture.

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3. Día del Boyero (Oxcart Drivers’ Day)

On the second Sunday of March, oxcart drivers parade their painted carts in Escazú, and local priests bless the oxen. In 2027 that Sunday is March 14. It is the day to see the painted carts together.

4. La Romería: The Pilgrimage to Cartago

Every year around August 2, the feast of the Virgin of Los Ángeles, pilgrims walk about 24 km (15 miles) from San José to the Basilica in Cartago, and the walk itself begins in the days before the date. August 2 is an optional holiday. It is a religious event more than a party, so dress and behave accordingly.

5. Limón Carnival

On the Caribbean coast, Limón’s carnival centers on October 12 and celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture, with parades, street dancing, and concerts. It is also tied to the commemoration of Columbus’s arrival in 1502, which gives it a layered history. One source calls it a 12-day celebration, while another gives the week of October 12, and October 12 is no longer a public holiday, so confirm the program with local organizers. This year’s carnival fell around October 12, so it is one to plan for in 2027.

BPM Music Festival Costa Rica: What Happened and Where It Stands

The BPM Music Festival Costa Rica edition is the story most visitors ask about, and the honest answer is that it is unconfirmed. BPM began in 2008 as a post-New Year gathering of industry professionals in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Its own page says the name stands for bartenders, promoters, and musicians. After a 2017 shooting at a nightclub during the festival killed four people and wounded fifteen, local officials said the city would no longer host it, and it moved to Portimão in Portugal in 2018 and 2019, then to Costa Rica around 2020. A 2022 Costa Rica edition was postponed over government COVID restrictions.

The 2024 edition ran from January 24 to 28 in Tamarindo, according to Wikipedia, although another description calls the festival a ten-day event, so the length depends on which program you count. The 2025 edition was scheduled for January 8 to 12, with a flagship site at Playa Avellanas. Sources disagree on where it ended up, since one report says all events were moved into Tamarindo just before opening. Organizers cancelled the events that followed, citing local pushback over noise, safety, and traffic, and a petition signed by 183 community members was reported. Refunds were to start on January 15. The organizers blamed forces determined to see electronic events fail, which is their own claim. No 2026 or 2027 Costa Rica edition was found.

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Festivals in Costa Rica: Envision Festival’s Uncertain Future After 16 Years

The Costa Rica Envision Festival is the best-known name on the list and the one in the most doubt. Envision launched in 2011 in Uvita on the Pacific coast. In a letter dated October 15, 2026, organizers wrote that the festival’s future is unknown and that “we do not see a path to a 2027 festival,” while staying open to new investment, partnerships, and ownership models. They did not call the decision permanent. EDM.com reports that the festival had been unprofitable for many years and that its most recent edition ran from February 23 to March 2, 2026, after the 2025 edition was postponed. Another outlet is unclear on whether the 2026 edition went ahead as planned, and a third reported the 2025 edition as cancelled, so the recent record is uneven.

Envision’s own 2026 guide describes a seven-day experience with yoga, dance, martial arts, tantra, and breath work, and a general pass that includes movement and yoga classes. It also says rain can fall even in the dry season. If you were planning a trip around it, check the official channels before booking anything.

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Costa Rica Music Festival Scene: What Is Still Running

The wider Costa Rica music festival scene has not disappeared. This list comes from a snapshot published in October 2025 and a travel agency page, so confirm that each one has announced a new edition before you travel.

1. Ocaso: A four- to five-day underground electronic festival in January, now at El Anfiteatro Ocaso near Jacó. Its late-January 2025 edition was reported at about 5,000 attendees and sold out, while a travel agency says about 7,000.
2. Bliss Burn: A Burning Man-style gathering that held its second four-day edition in 2025.
3. Kapok Music Festival: Held in Uvita in October 2025.
4. Oneiro Festival: A San José festival set for its fifth edition at the end of November 2025.
5. Festival Internacional de las Artes: A free multi-genre arts festival whose venue changes each year, reported as returning in November 2024 in Guanacaste.

Not every festival survived. Labryinto, near Tamarindo, was raided on its first day in December 2024 and moved to Jericoacoara, Brazil, for 2026. Awake Earth, meant to fill the gap left by Envision, was cancelled at the last minute in February 2025 over permitting.

Festivals in Costa Rica: February Festival Guide

A Costa Rica February festival search usually leads to Envision, but there are other options. February sits in the dry season, which runs from December to April according to Wikipedia. Anyone hunting for a Costa Rica festival in February can use this list.

1. Diablitos in Rey Curré: Held in late January or early February, with exact dates changing each year.
2. Envision: Traditionally late February or early March in Uvita, but its organizers see no path to a 2027 edition.
3. Puntarenas Carnival: Held at the start of Lent, but not every year in recent times.
4. Potrero Blues Festival: A February event near Flamingo that is listed as discontinued, with rumors of a return.

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Festival de la Luz in San José: Festivals in Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Festival of Lights is San José’s Festival de la Luz, a Christmas parade of illuminated floats. It is set for Saturday, December 12, 2026. Costa Rica Experts describes a procession along Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda followed by fireworks. This year’s version is being rebuilt. Banco de Costa Rica, Banco Nacional, Banco Popular, Grupo INS, and Kölbi will not bring floats, and the Junta de Protección Social has not confirmed. The institutions gave reasons ranging from marketing priorities to budget limits. The mayor suggested political tension with the national government may have played a role, while acknowledging that no institution told him so and that he has shown no evidence.

The Municipality says it is talking to private companies about floats and is developing a new attraction with giant balloons inspired by New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The final mix of floats, bands, and balloons has not been published, so treat the traditional float parade as unconfirmed until the program is announced.

Costa Rica Festivities Through the Year

For a calendar view of Costa Rica festivities, this list runs through the year. Dates are as published by tour and travel sites, and several are approximate.

1. January: Fiestas de Palmares in the first half of the month and Fiestas de Santa Cruz in mid-month.
2. March: Día del Boyero in Escazú on the second Sunday.
3. July: Fiesta de la Virgen del Mar in Puntarenas, on the Saturday nearest July 16.
4. August: La Romería pilgrimage to Cartago around August 2.
5. September: Lantern parades on September 14 and Independence Day on September 15, marking independence from Spain in 1821.
6. October: Limón Carnival around October 12.
7. December: Fiesta de la Yeguita in Nicoya on December 11 and 12, Festival de la Luz on a mid-December Saturday, and then the Fiestas de Zapote in San José from December 25 with rides, bullfights, and snack stands.

Festivals in Costa Rica: Yoga Events That Exist and Those That Don’t

A costa rica yoga festival search mostly returns Envision, which counts yoga, dance, martial arts and breath work among its programming. No separate annual yoga festival was found in the sources, so avoid promising one. Yoga travel is instead built around retreats: one retreat guide names Nosara and Samara, Santa Teresa and Montezuma, and Uvita and Dominical as the main yoga areas. That guide is full of affiliate links, so use it only as a starting point.

Season note: The dry season runs from December to April and the rainy season from May to November. Today is October 16, so the next dated events are Festival de la Luz on December 12, the Fiestas de Zapote from December 25 and the Boruca Diablitos from December 30. Palmares follows in January.

Conclusion: Festivals in Costa Rica

The best festivals in costa rica for a 2027 trip are the traditional ones: Diablitos in the south, Palmares in January and the oxcart parade in March. For BPM, Envision and the lights parade, check official announcements before you book.

Heading to Costa Rica? Open the Explurger app to find fellow travelers and plan your festival trip together.

FAQs About Festivals in Costa Rica