For the past nine years, downtown Nicoya has been lit up during the month of December with the Festival of Light celebration. The main day of this year’s festival, Nicoya Shines 2013, will be on Saturday, December 7th.
On that date, the program includes the presentation of 15 bands from Costa Rica and Panama to commemorate the 165th anniversary of the Canton of Nicoya, which was established as the second canton in the province of Guanacaste on December 7th.
“We’ve spent several months working on the organization of the 2013 festival, which, as a great novelty, will serve to recall our Chorotega and Nioycan roots,” said Oliver Perez, general coordinator of the festival.
The day’s activities, organized by the Municipality of Nicoya, start at Recadero Briceño Park at 10 a.m. with the City Council meeting to commemorate the creation of Nicoya.
Then the music will start at 12 noon with the roots, ska and rock music of the groups Souhlinaje, Cabuya and Nicoa 37.
At 3 p.m. a parade is scheduled with bands from the canton and other invited groups. Bands from the canton include Saúl Cárdenas Band, Nosara High School Band, Caimital Band, Barra Honda Band and the Coralillo High School Band. Other bands are coming from Hojancha, Jicaral, Guadeloupe, Mora Canton and Santa Maria de Dota.
At 7 p.m. there will be a parade of bands along with 15 floats leaving from the Hotel Mundiplaza and ending at the Colonial Square of the Park. The marching bands will include the Sinem Municipal Marching Band of Nicoya, Colonial City Band (Nicoya), Cañas Firemen Band, Valley Forge High School Band (Tibás), Municipal Zarcereña Band, Independent Old City Band (Cartago), Youth Band (Palmares), Ojo de Agua Community Band (Aserrí), San José Municipality Band, Central Pacific Union Band (Puntarenas), Bagaces High School Band, La Fortuna Community Band (San Carlos), CEDES Don Bosco Band (Alajuelita), and Santa Rosa Community Latin Music Band (Pocosol).
The festival will end with a free public dance in the park with Erick Sanchez and his Orchestra.
Nicoya’s mayor, Marco Jimenez, highlighted the growth of the Festival of Light as one of the most important items on the canton’s cultural agenda.
“The municipality’s organizing committee has endeavored to provide a high quality event, with a lot of order and which all families can attend. It’s a space designed for the growth of the canton as a meeting place for all Guanacaste,” said Jimenez.
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