There is always a party somewhere in Puerto Rico, but here are the island's biggest bashes. If you're in town for one of these, be prepared for long nights, loud music, and the general cacophony of people having a good time.
Three Kings Day
Photo © Zain Deane
Forget Santa Claus! In Puerto Rico, as in much of the Latin world, the Three Kings rule the Christmas season. Puerto Ricans celebrate December 25, but the most important day of the season falls on January 6, El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day. A typical island tradition calls for children to gather grass and place it in a box at the foot of their beds, so that the camels of the Three Kings will have something to eat when they come to visit. While it is a revered holiday throughout Puerto Rico, nobody does Three Kings Day quite like the small, southern town of Juana Diaz, whose Three Kings tour the island before making the voyage home.
San Sebastián Festival
Held in the third week of January, this festival is one enormous outdoor party, and one of the biggest celebrations in San Juan. San Sebastián Street in Old San Juan gets absolutely stuffed with stalls, crowds, food, alcohol, music, arts and crafts shows, and general revelry.Casals Festival
While the Casals Festival has historically been held closer to summer in years past, it kicked off in late February in 2007. This homage to the cellist Pablo Casals is widely considered to be the premier classical music event in the Caribbean. While Maestro Casals was not Puerto Rican, he moved to the island in 1957, organized the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and began this annual tribute to classical music. Over the years, it has drawn some of the biggest names in the industry to Puerto Rico. Held in the San Juan Performing Arts Center, the festival takes place over several weeks.Ponce Carnival
Photo © Puerto Rico Tourism Company
During the week leading up to Ash Wednesday, Ponce celebrates Puerto Rico's version of Mardi Gras. The Ponce Carnival is the most celebrated and colorful festival on the island. It's also one of the oldest, dating back to the 1700s. Locals and tourists alike descend on the island for the occasion, and the main draw are the vejigantes, which are costumed characters donning wildly vivid demon masks. It's a fun, raucous event marked by thumping bomba y plena music, massive crowds, and hordes of masked revelers. The festival concludes on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with the Entierro de la Sardina, or Burial of the Sardine; This is a nutty, mock funeral procession (complete with a dummy in a coffin) led by drag queens and fake mourners.
