La Sabana Will Become The Epicenter Of The 2026 International Arts Festival ⋆ The Costa Rica News

From March 20 to 29, the International Arts Festival (IAF) will celebrate its 37th edition in La Sabana.

Nearly 70 artistic activities and more than 450 national and international artists from 12 countries will bring to life a program that includes music, theater, and dance.

It also includes cinema, literature, visual arts, street performances, artistic training spaces, and platforms for cultural entrepreneurship.

The Minister of Culture and Youth, Jorge Rodríguez, emphasized that IAF37 reaffirms “the value of the festival as a cultural policy sustained over time.”

“When IAF takes over La Sabana, the country beats differently. We are not just organizing a festival: we are reaffirming that culture is a right and that public space is the place where we come together as a society,” he said.

The opening ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 20, on the main stage with a selection of Costa Rican bands.

Among the guest artists are Mau y Ricky, Ivy Queen, Fonseca, and Ovy On The Drums, along with orchestras, national groups, and contemporary acts.

The program will include symphonic concerts, street performances, contemporary theater, and international cinema.

Highlights include performances by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as a selection of national bands conducted by guest conductor Frank Ticheli.

The closing of IAF37 will be led by the renowned Spanish company La Fura dels Baus, a world leader in physical theater and large-scale performances.

This company will present its work “RECONEC,” a stage production that will integrate more than 70 Costa Rican artists and combine theater, music, technology, and citizen participation.

In addition to La Sabana, the IAF will take place in multiple iconic venues throughout the capital, including:

• Costa Rican Art Museum

• Antigua Aduana

• National Theater

• Melico Salazar Popular Theater

• Film Center

• National Culture Center (Cenac)

• National Dance Workshop

Two main stages will be set up in La Sabana, along with a food court, a children’s area, spaces for artistic performances, and the Entrepreneurship Boulevard, which will bring together 100 cultural, publishing, and craft projects.

Additionally, it was announced on Tuesday that Mexico will be the guest country at IAF37 “in recognition of its cultural influence in the region and its historic artistic exchange with Costa Rica.”

The Mexican program will include folk and contemporary dance, music, theater, cinema, literature, visual arts, gastronomy, workshops, and conferences.

Highlights include the participation of Zapotec director Ivonne Mazas alongside the Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as jazz performances with Adrián Oropeza, literary gatherings, and art exhibitions.

Benefits

Among the benefits of IAF 2026, Rodríguez highlighted:

• 95% of the programming will be free or affordable.

• Theater performances will have a nominal cost based on seating capacity.

• IMAS users will have free admission to theater programming.

• Brete cardholders will receive a 50% discount.

• Seniors and students will receive a 30% discount.

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