BOYERO COSTA RICA
Hosted by the Asociacion del Boyero & Municipalidad de Escazu -
Hosted by the Asociacion del Boyero & Municipalidad de Escazu -
the San Antonio de ESCAZU Boyero • Oxcart Parade • Festival is THE BIGGEST and BEST festival for the beautiful painted Oxcarts • Boyero's in Costa Rica!!!
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DIA NACIONAL DEL BOYERO
OXCART FESTIVAL and PARADE
OXCART FESTIVAL and PARADE
San Antonio de ESCAZU
DATE
Friday, Saturday and Sunday - March 6, 7 and 8th, 2015
(see schedule below)
THIS San Antonio de ESCAZU Festival is THE LARGEST OXCART FESTIVAL in Costa Rica
(it was explained to be this is because in Escazu you have such a cross section of everything from the compasino to the million dollar homes)!
It's a TRIBUTE to the BOYERO!
Oxcarts travel from ALL around Costa Rica for this event and they're expecting around 300 carts this year!!!
It's one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL festivals in Costa Rica with the painted oxcarts and families all dressed up!! DEFINITELY make sure your camera batteries are charged for this one!!!
The main part of the event starts on Saturday with various performances and food, etc.
BUT the HIGHLIGHT of Saturday is the GRAND FIREWORKS SHOW
that doesn't start till 9:30pm-ish and has music and various performances in between - till 10pm!!!!
The GRAND DAME of this event is the INCREDIBLE OXCART PARADE on Sunday!!!
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*****This is an ALCOHOL-FREE ZONE!!!*****
(along the Parade Route and Festival and police WILL be out in FULL force!!!
I LIKE this!!! A TRULY "Family-Friendly" event)
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WHAT IS THIS EVENT - a Boyero Parade - ABOUT???
WHAT IS A BOYERO?
A boyero is the man in charge of leading the oxen (bueyes) to work/in the fields/hauling things - like a U.S. cowboy!
EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE BOYERO
Go to http://Translate.Google.com to figure out what they're saying)
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LOCATION
FESTIVAL
(Saturday and Sunday)
"Downtown" San Antonio de Escazu
(I believe there are 3 main "sections"/mountain areas/roads leading to various points in San Antonio de Escazu.
The most Westerly road takes you up to Tiquicia Restaurant.
The middle one - to the White House [aka Tara & who knows now].
The most Easterly road - going up to Hotel Pico Blanco/the main church and the magical hiking place.
For this event, we're talking about the LEFT/East/Este side).
PARADE ROUTE - SUNDAY
Centro Escazu (aka San Miguel) up to Downtown San Antonio de Escazu
WHEN:
The PARADE will START AROUND 10am (this IS Costa Rica and things don't always start on time)
WHERE:
In front of the Municipalidad/City Hall in Centro/San Miguel Escazu
(the East-bound road that runs on the North side of the park)
WHEN:
The PARADE will START AROUND 10am (this IS Costa Rica and things don't always start on time)
WHERE:
In front of the Municipalidad/City Hall in Centro/San Miguel Escazu
(the East-bound road that runs on the North side of the park)
ROUTE:
From the Municipalidad - they turn RIGHT/South-bound at the street behind the church (at the stop light by Musmani Panaderia) and travels UP UP UP to San Antonio.
From the Municipalidad - they turn RIGHT/South-bound at the street behind the church (at the stop light by Musmani Panaderia) and travels UP UP UP to San Antonio.
There it will turn LEFT at the neighborhood el Descanso, zig-zag a bit (at the end - LEFT and a Quick RIGHT) - ending up at the Soccer Field (on a regular non-crowded day you might miss it as it's BELOW the street level off the main road - and across the street from the church.
Or - across the street from what USED to be Cerros Pizza.
Or - across the street from what USED to be Cerros Pizza.
The oxcarts end up on the soccer field and you can walk down amongst them - admiring the strength of the oxen and the beauty of the carts.
(SERIOUS WARNING:
You might NOT want to wear open-toed shoes or sandals as there's LOTS of oxen caca around and some boyero's may not pick their oxen's dung up so fast!!)
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DO YOU LIVE ON THE PARADE ROUTE AND HAVE A 2nd STORY HOME THAT FACES THE STREET??
Consider opening your home for a "Donation" next year
(and invite me for free since I [well - actually Paul] presented this idea to you!!!)
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PARADE ROUTE MAP(***this is from the 2012 parade route. I never did get confirmation on the 2015 route even though I've written them 2 times and even their official Facebook page does not have this information on it)
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WHERE THINGS ARE HAPPENING
Most activities take place at the "Plaza de San Antonio" - which is basically the soccer field across the street (West side) from church.
It's home to one of MY FAVORITE pieces of art in the world -
the TRIBUTE•MONUMENT to the BOYERO
It's home to one of MY FAVORITE pieces of art in the world -
the TRIBUTE•MONUMENT to the BOYERO
Mario Parra sculpted
(Medium - it incorporated materials and products such as stone, wood, clay, coffee, sugarcane, bananas and corn, concrete, silicone and typical scenes as the boys' Sunday rides in a carriage, the lady and the wood oven, the general store and the canteen - on a WALL that's almost a BLOCK LONG!! It MOVES me SOOOO MUCH because you can REALLY FEEL his PASSION when you look at it!
(Medium - it incorporated materials and products such as stone, wood, clay, coffee, sugarcane, bananas and corn, concrete, silicone and typical scenes as the boys' Sunday rides in a carriage, the lady and the wood oven, the general store and the canteen - on a WALL that's almost a BLOCK LONG!! It MOVES me SOOOO MUCH because you can REALLY FEEL his PASSION when you look at it!
(more information on Mario Parra and this project at
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NOTE: DON'T LIKE CROWDS or don't have time/desire to sit in the hot sun watching it??? Since people are coming from ALL around Costa Rica, you'll be able to see them coming from just about all directions!
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SCHEDULE - 2015
FRIDAY - March 6, 2015
6am WARNING!! BOMBS ANNOUNCING the start of the Festival!! Do you hear those 2 booms going off, often on a Thursdays and/or Sunday afternoon - often like at 5 or 6am that wake you up in the Central Valley (the sound bounces off the surrounding mountains and sound like they're 2 blocks away sometimes!!!!)? That's the standard way Festivals "announce" they're coming (and I think there's a festival almost every weekend!! What is it with noise, bombs and fireworks and the Tico culture???)
8am - Inauguration Pueblo Boyero - Plaza de San Antonio
4pm - Skit of some sort (Obra de Teatro) - Plaza de San Antonio
7pm - Festival campesino con artistas Escazucenos
7pm - Festival campesino con artistas Escazucenos
- Plaza de San Antonio
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SATURDAY - March 7, 2015
FESTIVAL with typico foods booths (18 booths [even though the event doesn't officially start till 3pm, the food starts serving around noon), entertainment, big Mascaradas/clowns (those big scary things) and their Cimarrona (band that follows).
10am - Festival de Mascaradas (scary tall clowns with big heads) and Cimarrona/band Parade (cover your ears!!) - on the streets of San Antonio (what the heck are Mascaradas and Cimarrona's you ask? - check out - youtube.com/watch?v=rQv0tQy8uZI
1pm - Dedication to Seniors - Plaza de San Antonio
2pm - Mascaradas and Cimarrona - Plaza de San Antonio
3-11pm - Festival
3pm - Presentacion de retahileros??? - Plaza de San Antonio
4:30pm - Skit of some sort (Obra de Teatro) - Plaza de San Antonio
6pm - Mass at the church in honor of the boyeros - in the church - San Antonio
2pm - Mascaradas and Cimarrona - Plaza de San Antonio
3-11pm - Festival
3pm - Presentacion de retahileros??? - Plaza de San Antonio
4:30pm - Skit of some sort (Obra de Teatro) - Plaza de San Antonio
6pm - Mass at the church in honor of the boyeros - in the church - San Antonio
7pm - Dance show - Sonora de los Ticos - Plaza de San Antonio
9:30pm - FIREWORKS SHOW (and dancing and music after)
NOTE: The Fireworks display is set off from the Soccer Field so no people will be allowed there. They will be allowed on the church steps/parking. Find your space wherever you can get a clearing)
I asked the police if they were doing any road closures on Saturday up in San Antonio and they said no - but I've seen it published somewhere that they were going to close the main roads from 4-8pm - so . . . . What I saw that would be closed was basically from diagonal to the police station to the South/East corner of the church. Do what ya want with that info.
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ESCAZU OXCART • BOYERO PARADE and FESTIVAL
5am - BOMBS going off!!
10am - Mass - in the church - San Antonio (if you go to the mass, by the time it's over, the oxcarts•boyeros should be arriving out front!)
10am-noon-ish - PARADE. START - in front of the Municipalidad•Parque Centro•Centro Escazu church (get there EARLY if you want a good seat). It finishes around 1pm up in San Antonio (around 2 miles)
12pm•noon•mid-day - Gift Giving - Gifts are given to Boyeros•Oxcart drivers (practical things they can use like machetes, knives, agricultural things. Gifted from the association) - on the stairs of the church - San Antonio
This is ABOUT the time the Boyeros•Oxcarts get up to San Antonio de Escazu
3pm - Baile con la Agrupacion musical Renacer Musical Campo ferial - San Antonio
3-4pm - Boyeros•Oxcarts clear out (so extra watch your step!!)
6pm - Bomb/bombetos sound signaling the end of the festival
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO BRING•KNOW:
• #1 - If you're going up to San Antonio to mingle with the oxen, Do NOT WEAR SANDALS or heals as there are MOUNDS of ox caca (not everyone picks it up right away) and I'm sure you don't want to step in that (SQUISH!!).
• SUNBLOCK is IMPORTANT (you're at about 4,500 feet elevation so closer to the sun)
• Bring a Hat
• If you're bringing an umbrella or big hat to watch the parade, please step to the back so as to not block the others view.
• Don't dress all fancy with jewels or bring anything of value or your passport (make a copy of the photo page and the entry stamp if you're not a resident. This is what non-residents should have on them at ALL time) and stay aware as you normally would in crowds as this type of tight venue is PRIME STOMPING GROUNDS FOR A PICK POCKET!!!!
• Parking isn't plentiful, so attendees should prepare to walk/hike up the hill so wear walking shoes and a hat and carry water and be in reasonably good shape
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GETTING TO ESCAZU:
DRIVING
If you bitch about traffic in Escazu on a regular day - with all the street closures & re-routing for this event and parking is EXTREMELY LIMITED so you might want to seriously consider busing it, carpooling with others or find a friends "safe" place TO park.It will be bad throughout Escazu but ESPECIALLY Centro Escazu and San Antonio because the main roads are going to be closed so I'm not even going to give you driving directions (good luck with that) - but I've heard that some neighbors open their carports or empty lots for parking but I have a feeling it WILL have a nice $$$$ price tag on it (they ARE giving you convenience which to me is worth it!!!)
So SERIOUSLY consider taking the BUS as you won't have to walk AS much.
BUS DETAILS:
BUS COMPANY
Compania de Inversiones la Tapachula (2-289-7942)
Compania de Inversiones la Tapachula (2-289-7942)
I called and spoke with Sonia (who speaks GREAT English) but there was a bit of confusion (NOT from her as this wasn't her job - she's just who I got that spoke the best English) so I'm giving you what MY interpretation of the conversation was. Here is the regular schedule (let me know if you can make sense of it as it's beyond my limited brain scope!!):
BUS TIMES FOR SAN ANTONIO BUS: http://ciltcr.com/informacion/horarios/san-jose-escazu-san-antonio (if you can figure this out - PLEASE help teach it to me!!)
WHERE TO GET A BUS:
SAN JOSE to SAN ANTONIO
ON Calle 16 - between Avenida 1 and Paseo Colon/Avenida Central (this is a bit iffy to me on the understanding).
PRICE:
335-colones (this has probably gone up as it's from last year)
ON Calle 16 - between Avenida 1 and Paseo Colon/Avenida Central (this is a bit iffy to me on the understanding).
PRICE:
335-colones (this has probably gone up as it's from last year)
SAN JOSE to ESCAZU CENTRO
Behind Hospital San Juan de Dios (the Southe/East end) it's at the South/West corner of Parque Merced - ON Avenida 6 at Calle 14.
PRICE: 330-colones
Behind Hospital San Juan de Dios (the Southe/East end) it's at the South/West corner of Parque Merced - ON Avenida 6 at Calle 14.
PRICE: 330-colones
I was told another bus would run up the road from the Pulperia Violeta - South-bound - past Country Day School and Vista de Oro and over but I haven't been able to get official confirmation on that.
MAP OF DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE:
NOW - because MANY of these buses NORMALLY go along the parade route which will be closed at least DURING the parade - ALL these buses will be diverted between at least 9-10am-ish-noon-1pm-ish
MY understanding is they will run South/UP the street that Panadaria Mundo and Esquina Argentina run along side of (but don't quote me on that).
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ROAD CLOSURES • BLOCKED OFF
(****IMPORTANT for all living in this area to plan accordingly since you will be re-routed):
CENTRO ESCAZU (aka SAN MIGUEL)
CLOSED - Sunday - around 6am and re-open AROUND noon (that's what the police told me [but don't they have to clean up afterwards -
CLOSED - Sunday - around 6am and re-open AROUND noon (that's what the police told me [but don't they have to clean up afterwards -
SAN ANTONIO
CLOSED - Sunday - 5am till around 5-7pm-ish
CLOSED - Sunday - 5am till around 5-7pm-ish
PREVIOUS ROAD CLOSURES:
I've also seen that these roads are also closed off but don't quote me on it since it IS Costa Rica:
100 meters east of the rest
200 meters north of the Fuerza Pública/POLICE DEPARTMENT - San Antonio
200 meters south of the Fuerza Pública/POLICE DEPARTMENT - San Antonio
At the corner of the Avon headquarters
South side of Juan XXIII School.
Corner at Guaria Restaurant.
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EVENT CONTACT:
Jorge "QuiQue" Enrique Alvarez • j.AlvarezSoto@gmail.com
(he speaks GOOD English!!)
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PICTURESPICTURES FROM THE 2012 FESTIVAL!!
If you are a professional photographer or have a business that ties in with the photo, feel free to add details about it!!
SarongGoddess.com/Events/Dia-Nacional-Boyero-Parade
facebook.com/pages/Boyeros-San-Antonio-de-Escazu/355166554577696
More pictures - brought to you via my FAV realtor Daniel Langlois with
facebook.com/pages/Boyeros-San-Antonio-de-Escazu/355166554577696
More pictures - brought to you via my FAV realtor Daniel Langlois with
Zucaes Realty - Zucaes.com
Do YOU have any pictures that YOU TOOK from previous Boyero Celebrations or to add your pictures:
E- me that link at
(and please indicate the year and your name and if you're a professional photographer - your business name and website)
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PICTURES of SAN ANTONIO de ESCAZU:
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MY FAV HOTELS • PLACES TO STAY IN ESCAZU
Want to spend the weekend up in the San Antonio de Escazu area?
On a budget - or just want to have an ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE VIEW of the Central Valley below?
Stay at:
HOTEL PICO BLANCO!!
HotelPicoBlanco.com •
Rooms are just $40 - $70 + 13% tax
If you don't need a room - at least make a visit there to ENJOY THE VIEW!!
(and my FAV bbque Ribs in their restaurant!! I'm not positive if you can see the Saturday evening fireworks from here????)
(and tell them Vicki Connected you)
ENJOY!! and LOOK FOR ME ON SUNDAY UP IN SAN ANTONIO
Come up and give me a HUG!!)
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Please SHARE this link to DETAILS for DIA NACIONAL DEL BOYERO PARADE and FESTIVAL with everyone you know that would ENJOY this AWESOME event!!!
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