The Puntarenas Carnival is one of the most prominent beach celebrations in Costa Rica, and this year it will feature an international gathering of motorcycle aficionados, one of the largest… Read more » Continue reading →
The Puntarenas Carnival is one of the most prominent beach celebrations in Costa Rica, and this year it will feature an international gathering of motorcycle aficionados, one of the largest conventions of iron horse riders in Latin America. This event will follow the successful live music presentation by Inner Circle, the legendary Jamaican reggae band known for their hit songs Bad Boys and Sweet.
The carnival celebrations in Puntarenas take place at the Paseo de los Turistas landmark during the month of February each year. It is officially called the “Festival Perla del Pacífico” (Pacific Pearl Festival), but everyone in Costa Rica knows them as the Puntarenas Festival. After the boozy Palmares Festival, this Pacific Coast carnival is one of the most popular.
As with most other town fairs and annual celebrations, the Puntarenas Festival features topes (equestrian parades), live concerts, amusement rides, beauty pageants, copious amounts of ice-cold beer, and food offerings that may not be the healthiest but that qualify as guilty pleasures that simply beg to be tried. The two most popular staples of Puntarenas cuisine at the festival include the Churchill, which is a refreshing concoction of shaved-ice, diced and sliced chunks of fruit, condensed and powdered milk, vanilla, and cream. It is like a snow-cone masterpiece, and it dates back to the days when refrigeration was a luxury in Costa Rica, which explains the use of powdered and condensed milk. The vigoron is a Nicaraguan dish that has been given the Puntarenas treatment; it essentially consists of pork rinds with boiled yucca and a fresh salad.
Since the Puntarenas carnival takes place in the midst of the busy tourist season, many foreign visitors get to enjoy the festivities. The international motorcycle convention is a new event for this carnival; it is being organized by Piques Legales Costa Rica (PLCR), which is an event organizer for motorcycle and racing enthusiasts. PLCR organizes street-legal drag racing events; to this end, riders in Costa Rica are encouraged to visit Puntarenas this Sunday, where they can be matched with competitors having similar riding experience, engine size and displacement capacity. Exotic motorcycles and special accessories will be on display, and talented riders will perform stunts for the crowd.