Classic rock and hard rock have quite a following in Costa Rica, and even though the nation boasts a very small population, every year the Imperial beer company sponsors the Festival Imperial rock festival. In 2006 the star performers of the two-day annual festival held at the racetrack La Guacima were Sting, Jamiroquai, Vicentico, The Rasmus, and Miranda. The festival is usually held in April just before (hopefully) the rains really get going, the perfect raucus welcome to ring in the life that’s brought with the first rains. People travel from all over the entire region for the annual festival, and it ROCKS!

CostaRock is a one day, fourteen-hour rock festival that last year hosted thirty-three Costa Rican bands, who rocked out Cartago in November.

Every hear the Fiesta de Reggaeton also becomes a wildly popular nine-hour, ten-thousand person party. Usually in July, during the rainy season, Fiesta de Reggaeton will usually be held indoors, but sometimes not. However, not even torrential seasonal rain is enough to stop the crowds from piling in to this hot event. In recent years, this has been the most volatile event for Costa Rica’s youth (as far as arrests and such), however in 2006 the sports stadium venue in Heredia held what was considered the most successful and peaceful Reggaeton to date.

“Tosh Meets Marley” was also a huge success in 2006, starring Junior Marvin and several members of the original Wailers.

International Music Festival is held in August, and although it’s not rock it is still a hot season for romantics around the nation for enjoying chamber and orchestra music. In 2006 the Festival hosted over thirty concerts in small and large venues around the country, ranging from the National Theater to the Gran Hotel Costa Rica and ampitheaters on the beach, in botanical gardens, and in the rainforest.

2006 saw the arrival of a number of huge performers independent of the festival seasons and sometimes independent of their usual group performances. The Black-Eyed Peas kicked off a celebration of their Grammy win in Costa Rica, Marc Antony performed accompanied by his wife Jennifer Lopez, Foreigner also appeared, as well as Spanish rock pioneer Miguel Rios, Ignite (hard core) from Orange County, the Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Ataris, Fear Factory, Paul Dianno (of Iron Maiden), Ronnie James Dio (of Black Sabbath), Daddy Yankee, Destruction, Helloween, Death By Stereo, Die Young, and Richard Clyderman (platinum album pianist) were some of the big names to grace Costa Rica in 2006.