Countdown to the Festival Imperial 2008 in Costa Rica.

This weekend’s Festival Imperial, which will take place at La Guácima’s racetrack in Alajuela, is expected to welcome a total of 50,000 people – 25,000 on Saturday and another 25,000 on Sunday. The much-awaited international music festival is just two days away, and plans are in full-swing. And if you have your tickets and are anxiously awaiting this weekend, the following informational tidbits should help you get organized:

The parking lot and waiting area will open at 10am each morning in order to provide all the eager music fans, music, entertainment, food and refreshments while they wait. The main gates won’t open until 2pm when the fans will be allowed to anticipate the BIG show for three more hours before the concert begins around 5pm. The concerts will last until midnight while concessions will be open until 2am.

If you plan on arriving in a buseta, or designated transport van, make sure your driver has solicited a temporary permit from the Consejo de Transporte Público. (Only authorized busetas will be allowed near the festival). If you haven’t booked a ride on an authorized buseta, there will be regular bus service from San José to La Guácima every 15 minutes, beginning at 6 a.m. The bus costs just ¢500, and you can catch it on the western side of La Merced Park downtown. If Alajuela is a bit closer to you, catch the Alajuela-La Guácima buses that run every 15 minutes. They will pick you up just 50 meters south of the TUASA bus stations, and the cost is ¢165.

Food and drink will be available at Festival Imperial, and beer will be served to those over 18 beginning at 4 p.m. The festival organizers would like to remind everyone that camping will not be allowed on-site, so please do not try to arrive Friday night to catch a good seat for Saturday. There will be 680 people from la Fuerza Pública (police), Red Cross, and private agencies on-site to provide security during the concerts. 500 private security officers will be located inside the racetrack, 30 police on horseback, 50-60 traffic police, and at least 90 individuals from the Red Cross to address emergencies. There will be no tolerance for drunk driving, and Festival Imperial encourages all groups to take the bus or have a designated driver.

The final lineup for this year’s Imperial Festival is the following:

Saturday April 19
Smashing Pumpkins
Incubus
CAFÉ TACVBA (a.k.a. Café Tacuba, a Grammy and Latin Grammy award-winning Mexican Alternative Rock Group)
Babasónicos (an Argentine Rock/Alternative band)
Le*Pop (a Costa Rican band that has a light, but serious sound)

Sunday April 20
Duran Duran
Enrique Iglesias
Seal
Zoé (a Mexican Alternative Rock band)
Porpartes (currently one of the most popular bands in Costa Rica)

Some tickets are still available for the 2008 Festival Imperial, so if you haven’t purchased yet, do so soon. With the big event just a few days away, spots are sure to fill up fast. And for music fans, both in Spanish and in English, the only thing better than the star-studded 2006 Festival Imperial will be this year’s wild and crazy music bash. Trust me, Ticos will be talking about it until the next one rolls around, assumably in 2010.

Costa Rica Pages brings you daily up to date Costa Rica Information.

This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Costa Rican Music on April 16th, 2008