As life here unfolds on a day to day basis, I must tell myself a dozen times a week that this or that needs to go into the next blog post. Later, when I sit down to write all those moments fade into the landscape of our new normalcy and seem hardly worthy of mention. That said, there was one major event I have to report on.
This, of course, was our first January in Costa Rica, which translates into our first Las Fiestas de Palmares – the biggest party of the year in a country that loves big parties. To put the enormity of this event into perspective, keep in mind these two facts:
Beer: According to some reports, the Palmares Fiesta ranks #2 in beer consumption world-wide… second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich. That’s a lot of beer when you consider this…
Size: Palmares has a population of just over 4,000 (not counting the canton's other six districts). Of course, the 500,000 or so visitors that the town hosts over the course of 13 hot days and fun-filled nights need a lot of refreshment, so the locals aren't actually walking around in a drunken stupor for two weeks.
Where does all this fun take place? And what exactly is the draw (aside from beer, that is)?
During the fiesta, the main road (pictured above) that runs from the International Highway through downtown (and is the primary bus route in and out of town) is converted into a parade route and party central. Virtually every property along the route rents out their front lawn, parking lot, and even the space above their buildings, in the case of single-story structures lacking open space in the front, where scaffolding is erected and overlaid with flooring to support ad-hoc restaurants, super bars, dance floors – and prime parade viewing. Tickets for those venues run around $60 per person for the biggest single event of the fiesta, the tope or horse parade. In case you're wondering, the price of admission gets you more than a look at beautiful horses. It also includes all your food and drinks, so some might consider it a bargain.
The real fun, though, just might be curbside, where regular folks tote in ice chests filled with beer and strut about in their plaid shirts, boots and cowboy hats, and proceed to enjoy one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, tailgate parties known to man.
We walked down one residential street along parade route that was lined with folding chairs and ice chests. Inside the iron gates of the homes behind them, residents were setting up for their own little fiestas, complete with flat screen TVs on the porch for watching the parade coverage, as well.
There's one thing Costa Ricans love as much as a party and that is their horses! Beautiful, well-bred, well-trained horses, at that. The numbers I’m hearing are that about 5,000 horses prance along the parade route during the tope. Although we can’t report much first hand info (the parade took place during the heat of a very hot day and we’re whimps when it comes to hot), we did make a brief visit to the fairgrounds a couple of hours before the parade began, walked the parade route, indulged in some luscious traditional food, and were ready to make our way home and out of the heat about the time the parade got into full swing. On our way to the bus we captured a couple of good horse pictures. The best is at the top of this post. The other parade photos here are made possible only because one of our neighbors was brave enough to stick around for most of it. (Thanks, Donna!)
Like all festivals, carnivals, and county fairs we’re familiar with in the U.S., this one had rides for the little ones and the daring, food stands for everyone, arts & crafts and souvenir vendors. Unlike most of them 'at home,' this one starts with a children's parade in which the little ones carry handmade lanterns, illuminated by candles. And just exactly where in the States are you going to find a no-kill bullfight? Or any bullfight, for that matter?! I’ll refrain from commenting on the wisdom of hopping into an arena and going head to head with any animal with horns and more than a 100 to 1 weight advantage over a large man, but this is where it happens. Every January.
Weekends during the fiesta are dominated by open air concerts by big-name performers. There’s a 13.5 kilometer foot race and a 37 kilometer bike race. Pretty much something for everybody.
The one event I would love to see (at least once in my life) is the Carnival parade. My impression of it is that it’s similar to Mardi Gras (New Orleans) or Carnival (Buenos Aires Argentina), but toned down a bit. This year, Vic was nursing an ankle injury so we kept our walking to a minimum. Maybe next year.
What makes all this fun even more fun, is that January is the definitely the driest month of the year (that would be weather, not in alcohol consumption, of course) in Palmares. So while it was truly hot, with temps tipping to the 90s and higher in the sun, the humidity was low, without a threat of rain during the festivities.
Most Palmareñans skip the party, which is perceived by some as a gross annoyance. Some even leave town to avoid the craziness. But for anyone who loves a party - this is definitely where the action is.
All in all, I can sum up the fiesta this way: Muchos gente (a lot of people); Mucho sol (a lot of sun); and MUCHAS cerveza (an incredible amount of beer).
If you decide to visit us next January and join the fun, remember we've got just one extra bedroom, so reserve your spot early!
*Palmares is a canton (the equivalent of a county in the U.S.) that is comprised of seven districts (not quite a town, but more than a neighborhood). We live in the district of Buenos Aires. The district of Palmares is also the ‘capital’ (or the equivalent of a county seat in the U.S.) of the canton.
Pura Vida
