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The Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian (San Sebastian Street Festival) ends Puerto Rico’s very long holiday season. This year the festival will go from January 18 to January 21, 2024. The Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian is a combination of art, music, entertainment and fun that starts at sunrise and explodes at the sunset.
Thousands of people, both locals and tourists, go to Old San Juan to party day and night.. And it all adds up to a crazy celebration!
The festival began in 1970 as a community fund raiser. And now if you can only go to one festival in Puerto Rico, it is THE festival.
The Fiestas is held on the third weekend in January and it usually runs from Thursday to Sunday. It’s attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Nearly 400 artists and musicians take part in the festival.
There will be an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting followed by a huge parade of the people. Puerto Ricans wear costumes and traditional vejigante masks. Vejigantes were demon figures from the Middle Ages. These colorful masks have horns and were made from coconuts or gourds and now are usually paper mache. They are a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico. If you’d like to get a mask, here’s a good selection of them.
There’s lots of live music. You’ll hear both traditional and contemporary. The main stage is in the Plaza del Quinto Centenario. You’ll also see dance performances, folkloric and modern. You can expect to see music and dance happen spontaneously in the streets.
The streets of Old San Juan will be lined with vendors selling jewelry, art and more. Food and drink vendors will also be there. If this is your first time in Puerto Rico, the street food is a great way to try different local favorites and see what you like best. Try an empanada with chicken or beef filling or a pincho, a skewer with chicken or beef.
You can try a Medalla, the official beer of Puerto Rico. Try a delicious Pina Colada. The official drink of Las Fiestas is the PapaJac. It is a mix of several liquors, rum and juices, including Passion Fruit.
If you liked the food at the festival and want to learn more about Puerto Rican cooking, try these cookbooks. And you can use our links to see how much money you can save on them.
- The Easy Puerto Rican Cookbook by Tony Rican
- Puerto Rican Cookery by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli
- Con Sabor: My Puerto Rican Cuisine by Isabel Veguilla
- The Best Puerto Rican Drinks Recipes by Grace Barrington Shaw
If you’d like to read more about Puerto Rico and its festivals, try these books.
San Juan Hotels
If you’d like to visit San Juan for the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian, you should consider the following hotels. They are all offering discounted rates which can save you money on your stay.
- Janer House: 32% Discount
- CIQALA Luxury Suites: 32% Discount
- La Esmeralda PR: 30% Discount
- Verdanza Hotel: 25% Discount
- The Emerald: 25% Discount
- San Agustin Apartments: 24% Discount
- San Juan Water & Beach Club: 21% Discount
- ESJ Towers Hotel: 20% Discount
- The Tryst Beachfront Hotel: 20% Discount
- TRYP by Wyndham Isle Verde: 20% Discount
- Picuas Village: 20% Discount
- DREAMCATCHER by DW: 15% Discount
- Condado Ocean Club Adult Only: 15% Discount
- Tropico Beach Hotel: 15% Discount
- The Wave Hotel at Condado: 15% Discount
- Park Royal Homestay Club Cala Puerto Rico: 15% Discount
- Fairfield by Marriott Liquille Beach: 15% Discount
- Hotel Lucia Beach: 15% Discount
- Hi-Bird – Apartment & Suite Hotel: 11% Discount
- Mont Carpe Diem: 11% Discount
- The Royal Sonesta San Juan: 10% Discount
- The Village Inn Hotel: 10% Discount
- The Village at Palmas del Mar: 10% Discount
- The Surfing Turtle: 10% Discount