Annual Music Festivals in Costa Rica

Ocaso is an underground electronic music festival held each January in the surf community of Tamarindo in Guanacaste on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast. It usually starts in the first week of the New Year and takes place over four or five days. They use a number of different venues around Tamarindo, including bars, clubs, and an outdoor space for the main event. How it works is that the first night, usually a Thursday, takes place in a local bar or club. Then Friday and Saturday nights happen in an outdoor space out of town, with the action returning downtown again for Sunday and Monday nights.

Ocaso was founded in 2017 and has taken place annually since then, the only exception being during the COVID pandemic. It has grown to become one of the biggest music festivals in Central America, attracting over 7,000 attendees and featuring over 500 DJs and performers booked across the multi-day event. 

A core focus of Ocaso is promoting and supporting electronic music artists from Central America. Over 50% of the DJ bookings are reserved for regional talent from Costa Rica and neighboring countries. This has helped drive the growth of the Central American electronic dance music scene.

In addition to music performances, the Ocaso Festival features art installations, food vendors, and beach cleanup efforts with volunteers, who collect an average of 10 kg of waste each year. The festival also provides donations to benefit local elementary schools in the Guanacaste region.

Where to Stay for the Ocaso Festival and How to Get There

If you’re coming to Costa Rica for the Ocaso Festival, you’re coming during the high season. New Year’s might be over, but early January is still busy, so booking in advance is key, especially if you’re part of a group. Any Tamarindo hotel is fine: Ocaso’s venues are either right in town, or a short ride away. Ocaso provides continuous bus shuttle services to and from the main outdoor venue so it’s easy to get to if you don’t want to drive. The closest airport is Guanacaste International in Liberia, which is about 45 minutes away. 

The BPM Festival is an international electronic music festival that crosses borders. Founded in 2008, BPM—which stands for "Bartenders, Promoters, Musicians" and not “Beats per Minute” as many think—began as a post-New Year's gathering of industry professionals in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. What began as an intimate event grew rapidly, with BPM hosting a 10-day festival with over 70,000 global attendees including DJs, producers, revelers, and industry professionals by 2018, when it relocated to Portugal. BPM has also, over the years, hosted events in Bali, Barcelona, Beirut, Brazil, Dubai, Ibiza, Mykonos, New York City, Toronto, and Zurich.

The festival has received numerous accolades, winning as the best international festival at the DJ Awards in Ibiza in 2013. It was also nominated by the International Dance Music Awards for Best Music Event three years in a row, from 2014 to 2016. BPM also won as the best festival at the EMPO Awards in 2015 with another nomination in 2016. In short, BPM is a big deal in electronic music and has cemented itself as a major international festival brand.

After a couple of years in Portugal, BPM announced its new home for winter parties in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The first event began in January 2020, just after Ocaso ended, giving party people who timed it right almost ten days of full fiesta. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic got in the way of things. With the 2021 and 2022 editions both canceled, there were ticketing issues for 2022, where many people were not refunded in a timely manner. Luckily, these one-off problems were resolved, and BPM is set to stay on the music map. Like Ocaso, BPM hosts parties around Tamarindo, highlighting a range of international and regional DJs. The music is generally a little lighter and less hardcore than Ocaso. 

In Costa Rica, BPM usually takes place over four or five days in early-to-mid January, just after Ocaso finishes. That said, in 2024, they also had a mini-festival in Tamarindo taking place over Easter weekend at the end of March, so perhaps, as they become more established, they may host events more than once a year.

Where to Stay for the BPM Festival and How to Get There

The BPM Festival takes place in Tamarindo, just like the Ocaso Festival. Also like Ocaso, BPM is during high season, so we recommend early booking for people wanting to attend.

Though Ocaso and BPM are the major music festivals in Guanacaste, attracting people from all over Costa Rica, Latin America, and the wider world, they’re also both focused on electronic music. If you’re not into trance or techno, this might not be your scene. Unfortunately, right now there’s not much going on in Guanacaste outside of these since the pandemic. 

There used to be a blues festival each February in Potrero, a small beach community next to Flamingo . We hear rumors every now and then of this starting up again one of these years, so we’ll see. Ditto Jungle Jam, a rock festival in Tamarindo that ran until 2017. If that comes back like they hope, people who aren't solely into electronic music will have another option in this part of the country. We’ll keep you posted!

Envision is easily Costa Rica’s most famous and established festival. We’d venture to say that the success of Envision is, in part, the reason why Ocaso and BPM came here. It takes place every year in late February or early-to-mid March, even if the exact dates vary, and is something quite unique to describe. Unlike the Ocaso and BPM festivals, which focus almost solely on the music, Envision encompasses a lifestyle. It is, in their own words, “one epic experience with the power to change your life.”

But what does that mean? Well, Envision is more than just music. Sure, there’s music, from electronic raves to live reggae, dub, and other genres. There’s something for everyone. But Envision is also about embracing a lifestyle of yoga and meditation, about getting in touch with the environment around you. It’s about art, spirituality, sustainability, and nature. Those who have gone to Envision describe it as having a culturally eclectic audience and such a unique blend of elements it’s interesting to see for yourself.

For practical purposes, Envision takes place in Uvita , on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, in a beachfront location surrounded by rainforest. It’s been here since 2011, and it has taken place every year apart from 2021. It lasts for a week, and most people camp on the festival site, although that’s not compulsory. It’s certainly possible to stay off-site in a hotel and attend the festival that way, although doing that might diminish the communal experience of the festival.

Where to Stay for the Envision Festival and How to Get There

Most people camp on location. The festival provides tents and a camping area for people to stay in, both regular and VIP. Guests seeking something a little more luxurious can stay off-site at any number of hotels or rental properties around Uvita . The closest international airport for Envision is Juan Santamaría in San José. From there, it’s about a three-to-four-hour drive down to Uvita, or a short domestic flight to either Quepos or Palma Sur.

When it comes to music festivals in this part of the country, it’s really only Envision. There are other activities, though they aren’t exclusively music festivals. An example is the Puntarenas Carnival. This takes place in February, at the beginning of Lent—which is carnival season in Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent years, due to permit problems and the pandemic, the Puntarenas Carnival has not been organized every year, but when it’s on, you can expect a weekend of live music, carnival queens, and festivities on the Paseo de Turistas, the main beachfront thoroughfare of Puntarenas. 

Another music festival that has taken place in this part of Costa Rica before is Eudaimonia . This is a psytrance setup that holds festivals around the world, including Mexico, Guatemala, Greece, Israel, and many others. They came to Costa Rica in 2022 and held an amazing party in the rainforests outside of Jacó , close to Playa Herradura. Will they come back and create an annual event? They said they wanted to, so maybe that will happen at some point.

If you haven’t done Palmares at some point in your life, you haven’t really lived in Costa Rica. Forget all these foreign-organized international events like Envision or Ocaso. The Palmares festival—Las Fiestas Palmares—is about as Tico as you can get. Located in the town of Palmares, about an hour northwest of San José , the festival is a two-week booze-fest starting in early January each year. 

Palmares was originally a celebration of Costa Rica’s cowboy culture, and it still focuses a lot on that with a large horse parade, bullriding, traditional oxcart parades, and other similar activities. Over the years, though, due to sponsorship by Costa Rica’s main beer brand, Imperial, Palmares has grown into a major concert venue, where local and regional bands come to play on both the main stage and other surrounding locales. You’ll also find stand-up comedy (in Spanish), fireworks, and after-parties springing up in massive tents all over the place. 

Where to Stay for Palmares and How to Get There

Palmares doesn’t often attract foreign tourists. Most foreigners who come to Palmares already live in Costa Rica. If you do want to attend, though, it’s pretty easy to get here from San José, and you’re better off staying there. Everyone really shows up for the day, and weekends are when the best bands play. The closest international airport to attend this festival is Juan Santamaría.

Like Palmares, Zapote is a Costa Rican tradition. In fact, Palmares begins just as Zapote ends, so the more hardcore among you can do both one after another. Zapote takes place in San José itself, in the district of Zapote in the southeast of the city, between Christmas and New Year. The main focus of Zapote revolves around the bullring, where people jump into the arena to test their nerves against an angry bull. This activity is televised virtually non-stop throughout the week, and provides a seasonal backdrop to Christmas in Costa Rica. 

Outside of this, the music stages and drinking tents go around the bullring. They attract thousands of people who come to imbibe local beers and dance the night away to live bands. There’s also a major fairground for the kids to enjoy.

Where to Stay for Zapote and How to Get There

Like Palmares, Zapote also doesn’t attract many foreign tourists. If you’re in Costa Rica over Christmas, chances are you’re at the beach and far away from the capital city. But if you do want to check out Zapote and get a true taste of local life, then you can stay anywhere in San José. Zapote is super close to the city center—15 minutes by car. 

The Central Valley music festivals that remain are a little smaller in scope and tend to be part of larger culture festivals. Festival de la Luz is an example in downtown San José. It is a parade with floats decorated with lights and some live music. That takes place a week or two before Christmas every year. 

There is a free street festival called FIA (Festival Internacional de las Artes, International Arts Festival) that happens every year, celebrating various types of art across the Central Valley. Concerts used to take place in the main Sabana Park, but they started switching around locations, so you have to check every year. FIA is back in November 2024 in Guanacaste, in case you want to check it out. 

A big event that used to happen was the Imperial Fest, which took place every couple of years in the noughties and attracted stars like Sting and the Smashing Pumpkins. That was a proper music festival and who knows if it will ever return? Maybe.

Start by figuring out your accommodations. All the main festivals we’ve mentioned take place during the high season, so it’s busy and there are many places to stay . Unless you’re going to Envision and have your camping arranged, you will need to sort out your hotel or rental home. Don’t just show up in Tamarindo or Uvita in the high season with nowhere to stay. We can help you with this part, so give us a holler. 

Preparation also counts with your festival tickets. Securing them as early as possible is a good idea, as they get more expensive closer to the kick-off date. Early Bird deals are a thing here.

Be prepared for the weather. It’s going to be hot and you’re going to be outside. Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and comfortable shoes are a must. Regarding what to wear, if you’re at Envision, Ocaso, or BPM, the sky’s the limit. Dress as light as you can because you’re going to be dancing a lot. Consider a small backpack or fanny pack to keep your belongings secure.

Staying healthy is important, too. Drink tons of water to avoid dehydration and pace yourself. Eat plenty of snacks and enjoy some of the festival food offered. Food trucks aren’t a big thing in Costa Rica, but you do find some great ones and cool food vendors at festivals, so take advantage if you can. And we can’t emphasize enough the importance of sunscreen.

If you have a particular artist or DJ you want to check out, plan your schedule so you’re there for their gig or set. But don’t plan so much that you lose the spontaneity to discover new music. If you’re at a festival with multiple stages, explore and check out hidden surprises like art installations, food trucks, and workshops.

We also recommend you bring cash, because some vendors may not accept cards. At festivals like Ocaso, this is moot, as you buy tokens in advance to swap for drinks, food, etc. But you might want to have a few thousand colones on you anyway. 

Most importantly of all: have fun! Dance, sing, make friends, and have a blast. This festival will make your trip to Costa Rica even more unforgettable than it would have been, we promise! And if you feel like you could use some extra advice, contact us and we’ll help you get here.

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