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Insidecostarica.com - San José, Costa Rica  -    Thursday 11 January 2007

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Palmares Festival A Go!
While it was dicey until the last hours, the Fiestas de Palmares received all the necessary approvals and today the annual festival kicks off with the Tope, the horse parade.

Palmares, a town about 45 minutes west of San José, is expecting a record attendance this year with the cancellation of the Zapore Fair in December.

Billboards, full page newspaper and radio spot advertising have been telling people to visit Palmares for more than a week, that promise, in addition to the Tope, a Carnaval, concerts that include national and international artists, games, bulls and "megabares" - huge bars that promise lots of action and taps flowing.

Following a lot of "zozobra" (anxiety) because a number of permit were still not granted, yesterday afternoon, only hours before the megabares and the games were to open, the Asociación Cívica Palmareña said it had all the permits that included environmental and health permits for the party to begin.

Gerardo Araya, president of municipal council of Palmares, and four municipal council members gave the approval vote once the Asociación presented the municipal council all the required documentation that allowed the festival to go on. The only opposition to the festival was council member Ana Estelia Rojas, who questioned the 16 temporary liquor licenses.

Araya said last night that the liquor license permits are on the condition that the Asociación will restrict the bar owners and not allow the "modelos" - scantily clad women - outside their bars and on to the public areas of the festival grounds. Also, the Asociación will control the sound level and not allow minors into the bars.

The relief from the anxiety came when local mayor, Mario Rojas, did not attend the municipal council meeting. Rojas has been opposed to the festival and had threatened to veto the permits given by the municipal council members. According to articel 158 of the Código municipal (municipal code), the mayor has five days in which to veto any municipal council decision. If Rojas takes that action, the Palmares festival will come to an end.

Notwithstanding the political rumblings at the municipal offices, hundreds of workers yesterday began to erect the "chinamos" - the food stands - polishing up the rides and unloaded an estimated million or more cans or beer from the beer trucks.

In the megabares, technicians were tuning up their sound equipment while the bar managers were giving last minute instructions to the modelos who are the focus of attention to get more customers in their bars.

The cost of entering the megabares will be between ¢2.000 and ¢4.000 colones. One bar, for example, will be raffling off a vehicle to all participants, while others will have similar promotions to get their share of the festival goers.

The festival kicks off officially at 12 noon today with the Tope dedicated to the ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Karla González, with an expected 3.200 horsemen that will then convert into a "ranchero" festival and include a concert by Mexican singer, Pedro Fernández.

The festival will continue until January 22, unless mayor Rojas casts his veto and more information on the daily activities are available at: www.festivalpalmares.com


 



 

 
   

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