Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica: A Festive Time

Last Updated: October 21, 2025

Each year, we get many questions about what it is like during Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica. People want to know about the weather, local traditions, and which businesses will be open during the holidays. This time of the year is one of our favorites. In this post, we’ll let you know what to expect during these festive times.

Quick Overview: Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica means warm weather, festive beach gatherings, and most businesses staying open, with peak tourist crowds from December 20-January 5. Keep reading for more.

Preparing for the Holidays in Costa Rica

Decorations

In Costa Rica, the first signs of Christmas begin to appear in early November. You’ll start to find a few Christmas trees shining brightly in people’s homes and outdoor porches. By early December, most locals have their houses and businesses modestly decorated.

Christmas trees are mostly artificial in Costa Rica. In the mountains, though, where it is cooler, you can find real trees. These look sort of like an arborvitae, with fine, fluffy needles. They are usually about three or four feet tall. Occasionally, real trees are sold near the beaches, but they tend to dry out quickly from the heat.

Along with Christmas trees are lights, ornaments, nativity scenes, and even the occasional reindeer or Santa Claus statue.

The big shopping malls near the capital of San Jose have even more. You’ll find giant Christmas trees, elaborate decorations, and different exhibits for kids. Over the years, we’ve seen a Santa’s Workshop, snow machine, and ice rink at the Multiplaza in Escazu. The ice was melting fast but still fun!

Local municipalities also decorate for Christmas since the Catholic religion dominates in Costa Rica. Lights and nativity scenes are in each town’s central park.

Parades and Activities

Bigger towns usually have a Christmas parade as well. These are held in early December and have marching bands and floats or vehicles decorated by local businesses.

One of the most famous parades is the Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light). This nighttime parade has lots of bright floats and bands playing holiday tunes. It also has traditional dancers and mascaradas (giant masks with cultural significance).

The Festival of Light brings together tens of thousands of families along Second Avenue and Paseo Colon in downtown San Jose.

Another tradition is El Tope Nacional in San Jose, right after Christmas on December 26. Hundreds of horses and their riders prance a high-step trot through the city streets.

For New Years, many cities have a fireworks display. Locals set off smaller ones too in their communities and on the beach.

Costa Rica’s Weather in December and January

December marks the end of rainy season and beginning of dry season for most of Costa Rica.

By Christmas and New Years, rainfall is very infrequent in most places. Temperatures range from the mid-70s (low or mid-20s °C) in the mountains to high 80s or even low 90s (30s °C) at the beach. Read our post Weather in Costa Rica: What You Need to Know for more details.

One fun thing about the weather for January is a local belief called La Pinta. According to some Ticos (Costa Ricans), the first 12 days of the year will predict the weather for each month. For example, if it rains on January 6, then June (the sixth month) will experience higher than normal rainfall. We have actually found this to be mostly true in our years living in Costa Rica!

Peak Season for Costa Rica

Along with the warm weather in December and January comes the peak tourist season. Many foreigners travel to Costa Rica during Christmas and New Years, as they have time off from work and school.

Crowds are then compounded by local tourism. Costa Rica’s school year ends in early December, so the kids are released for “summer” break. Locals also get their yearly bonus (aguinaldo) and many have vacation time in late December/early January.

Since the majority of Costa Rica’s population lives inland around the Central Valley, it is a big tradition to head to the beach. Large groups of family and friends meet up at beaches around the country. They fill hotels, resorts, and even camp out in tents right along the sand.

Traditional foods are shared like ceviche made from fresh fish or olla de carne, a traditional beef stew. Tamales are also very popular (more below).

Busiest Beaches

Some of the busiest beaches over the holidays are Tamarindo, Jaco and Herradura, Manuel Antonio, Playas del Coco, and other beaches in Guanacaste on the northern Pacific coast.

If you’d like to avoid the crowds, we’d recommend checking out smaller beach towns like Samara and Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula, Esterillos or Bejuco on the central Pacific coast, or Dominical and Uvita on the southern Pacific coast. These can even be busy, though, during the week between Christmas and New Years.

Hotel Pricing and Availability

With increased crowds come higher prices at hotels and vacation rentals.

Most hotels and some Airbnbs apply peak season rates starting around December 15-January 7. This makes staying at the same hotel significantly more expensive during Christmas and New Years. Many properties also require minimum stays (typically 3 or more nights).

Rental cars have similar constraints. Agencies often run out of inventory during the holidays, so we recommend reserving at least 2-4 months in advance, especially you need a 4×4 or a larger vehicle. Be sure to check out our discount through Adobe Rent a Car to save 10%.

Popular tours can also sell out. We book tours through our travel agency and some common ones that have sold out in the past include Manuel Antonio National Park, Ecotermales Hot Springs (La Fortuna/Arenal), Sky Adventures zip lining (La Fortuna/Arenal), North Fields coffee and chocolate tour (La Fortuna/Arenal), and the Tortuga Island tour from Jaco.

Booking Timeline:

Hotels and vacation rentals: Book 6+ months ahead for best selection and rates
Rental cars: Reserve 2-4 months in advance
Popular tours: Book 1-2 months ahead to secure your spot

The earlier you plan, the more options you’ll have and the better prices you’ll find.

What’s Open During Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica?

Open:

✓ Hotels and resorts
✓ Restaurants (often with special menus)
✓ Tour operators
✓ National parks
✓ Grocery stores (sometimes have modified hours)

Closed or Limited:

✗ Banks
✗ Government offices
✗ Some local businesses

If you are traveling during Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica, expect most things to be open.

Tour operators, attractions, national parks, restaurants, shops, and other businesses related to tourism are busiest during this time and stay open. Restaurants often will have special menus for Christmas and New Years.

Grocery stores, mini-markets, and large retail stores will be open too but may have different hours. For example, they may close early on Christmas Eve or open late on Christmas Day/New Year’s Day.

On the other hand, things like banks, government offices, supply stores, and anything else non-tourism related likely will have different hours or be closed. We once waited about four weeks for a car part when we tried to order it right before Christmas.

Our Favorite Things About Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica

Having spent over ten years in Costa Rica for Christmas and New Years, we have begun to develop some traditions of our own. Some of these are borrowed from back home in the United States, and others we have picked up from Costa Rica.

Food for the Holidays

In our home, we traditionally bake Christmas cookies sometime in mid-December. We decorate them and give them to neighbors and friends. Ticos love sweets, but as far as we know, don’t make cookies for the holidays. They are always very well-received!

Though we haven’t made them ourselves yet, one classic Costa Rican dish that we always enjoy around Christmas and New Years are tamales. They are often gifted to us or we buy them from a local family.

Tamales are made with corn flour and filled with rice, vegetables, and chicken or pork. They are elegantly wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed to cook. We’ve tried many variations, and they are all delicious.

For New Year’s Eve, we like to partake in a Costa Rican tradition of eating 12 grapes. Grapes are a luxury in Costa Rica since they are imported and expensive. It is said that if you eat 12 grapes (one for each month) at midnight, your year ahead will be prosperous. Hey, it’s worth a try!

A Tasty (Spiked) Drink

Rompope is a traditional Costa Rican drink similar to eggnog that we enjoy for the holidays. You can get rompope in stores and we even order ours from a local dairy farm.

A Festive Mood

What we love most about the holidays in Costa Rica is how festive it feels. Everyone seems to get into the holiday spirit. At stores and restaurants, people will say Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas). Families will take pictures in front of a Christmas tree in the park. And there are lots of charity and toy drives to help those in need.

Like we mentioned above, the beach is one of the most festive places. If you find yourself at a beach during Christmas or New Years, you won’t have to look far to find local families barbecuing, playing futbol, and just enjoying time together.

Conclusion

Christmas and New Years is definitely different in Costa Rica. But culturally, it is very similar to what many of us grew up with. It’s about giving, spending time with family, reflecting on the year gone by, and looking forward to the year ahead. If you are planning your travel during this time, we hope you take part in some of Costa Rica’s traditions and bring along your own as well.