Costa Rica Food Festival Guide
Are you a foodie looking for inspiration in the kitchen? Do you like to check out culinary events and food festivals when you travel abroad? If so, then you probably haven’t considered Costa Rica as a destination for expanding your food knowledge and getting your taste buds going. But before you move onto booking that trip to Italy or Peru, you might want to give the Land of Pura Vida a second look. While Costa Rica doesn’t have a famous cuisine, it’s still a great choice for a culinary vacation, especially if you want to mix it up with incredible vistas or outdoor adventures. There’s a still-growing and fun foodie culture in the country, and what better way to express that culture than through various food festivals and events?
As we say, the food festival scene in Costa Rica isn’t as large as in other countries. And it is true that since the COVID pandemic, it’s become smaller as festivals that gained popularity before 2020 ended up being canceled, and many haven’t returned yet. But, as we reset things in the wake of the past few years, we expect things to get better.
In the meantime, we’ll highlight some of our favorite culinary events in Costa Rica. We’ll show you some specific food festivals and some wider events that showcase local cuisine as part of the overall experience. We hope it gives you food for thought (pun intended) when considering your next food-based vacation. But first, let’s talk a little about Costa Rican cuisine!
A Quick Costa Rica Cuisine Overview
Costa Rican cuisine reflects the nation's diverse cultural influences spanning indigenous communities, Spanish colonizers, Afro-Caribbean populations, and more recent global impacts. While maintaining its traditional roots, the food has continually absorbed new flavors and techniques over time.
Prior to Spanish colonization, Costa Rica's indigenous groups produced foods deeply tied to the land and its native crops. The Chorotega in Guanacaste still grow and process corn using Pre-Columbian methods to make staples like tortillas. The Bribrí and Boruca in Talamanca sustainably harvest indigenous ingredients while also cultivating one of their sacred crops, cacao.
The arrival of Spanish colonizers dramatically impacted this way of life, largely displacing native cuisine. Conquistadors cleared forests for European livestock and crops. However, many traditional Costa Rican dishes evolved as Spanish recipes adapted to local ingredients.
Another major influence came from Afro-Caribbean populations, particularly Jamaican migrants who settled along the Caribbean coast in the 19th century. This English-speaking community introduced coconut milk as a ubiquitous ingredient for seafood stews like rondón as well as rice and beans. Root vegetables like cassava and yams also became staple items.
More recent decades have seen influxes of American residents and businesses, an estimated 120,000 people. While many have opened restaurants promoting various cuisine styles, American corporate interests have had a greater impact by driving agricultural monocultures like bananas, pineapples, and coffee that drastically altered the food system and environment. Brand restaurants have also had a big impact on some areas regarding the food styles expected by patrons.
Despite these outside influences, Costa Rican cuisine still centers around traditional roots and dependence on crops grown locally. Corn remains an essential staple used for tortillas and tamales. Beans, squash, chiles, and tropical fruits are mainstays. Staple dishes combine these local ingredients like the iconic casado with rice, beans, a salad of some sort, and meat of some kind (chicken, fish, or beef).
Preparation techniques also preserve Pre-Columbian methods, like using wood-fired ovens and smokehouses as well as steaming and wrapping foods in banana leaves. Signature ingredients provide quintessential Costa Rican flavors, like culantro and that staple sauce on every Costa Rican kitchen table—Salsa Lizano.
Overall, Costa Rican cuisine is tied together by relying on fresh, locally grown products and an innate simplicity highlighting quality ingredients. Sustainable farming is deeply ingrained, with practices passed down over generations.
Our Favorite Food Festivals and Culinary Events in Costa Rica
There are many ways to experience Costa Rican food. The best way is to make friends with Costa Ricans and hope one takes you to their house for some of their grandmother’s home-cooked meals. But if you’re just traveling and passing through, that might be a bit of a long shot. Local sodas are the next-best thing.
Sodas are basically Costa Rican versions of diners, serving up inexpensive, local food. Most Costa Ricans, no matter their background, have their favorite soda to visit, ranging from simple kerbside counters to larger venues. Coastal communities have marisquerías, which are basically sodas, but with a seafood focus.
Highway-side fruit and farm stands offer tropical produce like mangoes, soursop, starfruit, rambutan, and cashew fruit. In highland areas, you’ll find stands selling dairy products and strawberries. Every region hosts weekly ferias (farmer markets) brimming with just-picked fruits and veggies, often with live music and street food vendors—we’ll cover some of these below in more detail, as they certainly count as culinary events in Costa Rica.
Trying the fare at highway stands, sodas, marisquerías, and ferias offers a delicious glimpse into Costa Rica's culinary heritage. But another way to enjoy Costa Rica’s food traditions—and to meet fellow foodies—is through some of the following events:
Ferias in Costa Rica: Like Fresh Food Festivals
Feria Verde, San José
The Feria Verde is a weekly farmer’s market (feria) that takes place every Saturday morning in the district of Aranjuez, just east of downtown San José. It is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike to find fresh, local produce, organic products, and handmade crafts. The market is also known for its live music and community events, and there’s a food festival feel to the place, with many stalls serving delicious breakfasts and lunches. Definitely worth a visit for any foodies in San José on a Saturday.
Tama Market, Tamarindo
Tama Market—or the Tamarindo Farmer’s Market—is another weekly feria, this time in the beach community of Tamarindo on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste. Like the Feria Verde in the capital, Tama Market takes place on Saturday mornings and features a range of delicious artisanal products, organic food to buy and eat, music, and art. Find Tama Market next to the Green Papaya Restaurant from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturdays.
Nosara Farmer’s Market
This is along the same lines as Tama Market, but on Playa Guiones in Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula. This feria takes place on Tuesday mornings and is a good way for tourists staying in Nosara to enjoy local food and artisanal produce.
Eco Feria Dominical
Located in the surf community of Dominical on the southern Pacific coast, this feria happens each Friday and is another way to enjoy fresh, artisanal produce while surrounded by good vibes. They also have an online shopping service for people who can’t make it to the actual market, delivering all over the southern Pacific zone.
The markets listed above in Tamarindo, Nosara, and Dominical are all pretty typical of what you can expect in any given tourist or beach community in Costa Rica. They’re all run by a mixture of locals and expats and all have a slightly hippyish vibe, with a strong focus on artisan produce, healthy eating, music, and art. If you’re not in any of these places, don’t worry—other beach communities have similar weekly setups, including Manuel Antonio, Playas del Coco, Puerto Viejo, and others.
Large Food Festivals in Costa Rica
The food festival scene dwindled during the pandemic, and sadly some of those festivals that had been taking off pre-pandemic have still not returned. However, there are exciting options to try, both new and traditional, that will make for a special day. And, in due time, even more offerings will pop up again.
Meanwhile, we still have the following events to attend if you’re interested in trying Costa Rica’s food:
Palmares Festival
In our article about Costa Rica’s best music festivals, we talk about Palmares too. It’s a huge music festival that takes place every January in Palmares, a small town around an hour northwest of San José. While most people associate Palmares with (lots of) drinking, there is also a culinary aspect to the event, with stalls and food trucks everywhere serving a range of delicious Costa Rican food. Make sure to try some of the festival specialties, from sweet to savory options.
Envision Festival
Envision is also better known as a music festival, attracting revelers from all over the world to the beaches of Uvita in the Southern Zone every February/March. But Envision is about far more than simply raving. It’s about embracing a way of life, getting in touch with your spiritual side, wellness, yoga, art, and… yes, food! You’ll find a wide range of vendors at Envision providing delicious and healthy organic fare from all over the world.
Food Fest Costa Rica
Food Fest Costa Rica is an event held in San José most years, in a variety of locations. It showcases Costa Rica's culinary offerings through a variety of food trucks. Attendees can expect a wide range of options, from traditional dishes to international flavors. Live music and entertainment always make for a lively atmosphere. Free entry, picnic areas, and a selection of beverages including craft beers and cocktails solidify the event's appeal for families and anyone seeking a taste of Costa Rican cuisine. These guys also pop up at other events around the country, including Palmares Festival. Foodies in Costa Rica should really get to know them.
Orotina Fruit Festival
The Orotina Fruit Festival is an annual celebration held in the town of Orotina, inland from Puntarenas on the Pacific coast. The festival honors the agricultural heritage of the Orotina region, which produces a lot of Costa Rica’s fruit. Typically held in the third week of March, the festival offers open-air markets offering fresh, local fruits from eco-friendly farms. Educational workshops highlight sustainable agriculture and healthy eating habits, while live music, dance performances, and a horse parade create a festive atmosphere.
Festival Internacional de las Artes (FIA)
FIA is an international arts festival that usually happens every two years. It used to take place mostly in Parque La Sabana in San José and now there are always activities across different spots in the main cities. FIA is one of those things that seems to hover in the background of Costa Rican cultural life, and when it’s around, it’s great. It’s also expanding! A range of communities around Guanacaste was scheduled to host it in 2024, signaling the effort to involve the whole country in the festivities. While the focus on FIA is music and art, they also have a strong focus on food, and it’s a great place to try out a range of delicious artisanal products from all over Costa Rica and beyond.
The above are some of the major events in Costa Rica where food-loving visitors can enjoy a range of local and international dishes. But most towns and communities have their own local feasts and celebrations throughout the year, and it’s always possible to find some party or event with good food available.
Ready for a Foodie Trip to Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's culinary scene may not be as renowned as other destinations, but the country's food festivals and events offer a tasty way to experience its rich culinary heritage. From weekly farmers' markets brimming with fresh, locally-grown produce to larger annual gatherings celebrating traditional dishes and ingredients, these events provide a unique glimpse into Costa Rica's cultural tapestry.
Whether indulging in a traditional casado, sipping a refreshing tropical fruit juice, or sampling artisanal offerings at a lively market, these events provide a delicious way to experience Costa Rican life. For foodies seeking a different culinary adventure, Costa Rica's food scene is worth exploring. And if you feel ready to start that journey, contact us and we’ll gladly help you get where you want to go!
