San Jose’s nightlife caters to a mix of tourists, college students, and Costa Ricans. There’s good options to meet your nightlife desires, whether you’re a visitor or resident. There’s plenty of interesting bars, clubs, discos and dance salons. To find the current happenings, check the La Nacion (Spanish) or Tico Times (English).

In November the country hosts large art festivals, where up to ten events can be enjoyed on any given night of the festivals, and will be advertised widely. During the rest of the year the National Symphony Orchestra will host a variety of notable and unique artists, which have included Luciano Pavarotti, Marc Antony, other Latino heartthrobs, reggae stars, and rockers alike. The mix can be unique and is worth watching the papers for.

There’s plenty of places to hit the dance floor in San Jose. Salsa and merengue are the local favorites and many clubs, discos, and salons feature live music on the weekends when Costa Ricans show out in droves for friendly competition on the dance floor. Live rock, blues, and jazz are far more scarce in San Jose, however cover bands and modern Costa Rican rock fusion has a solid following and a number of favorite bands make the touring rounds every weekend of the year, around the capital’s most popular venues.

The general knowledge around town is, that best place to sample a range of San Jose nightlife is at El Pueblo, a shopping, dining, entertainment complex styled like and old Spanish village, complete with cobblestone walks and clay tile roofs. Any cab driver in San Jose knows El Pueblo. With scores of clubs, bars, restaurants, discos, and shops, El Pueblo is alive always until 2AM, with the most popular discos, (Infinito, Twister, and Friends) not closing until the near dawn hours.

For the bar scene in San Jose, there’s something for every taste. “Bocas”, snacks served with every beer, are the mainstay of much of San Jose’s nightlife, and a treat for the tourist and Tico alike. There are sports bars plenty for those who prefer a night out to watch the games of the day, as well as Gringo Gulch for the heartier partying North American tourists. Gringo Gulch is a string of casinos, bars, and clubs in the middle of downtown where San Jose’s adult nightlife is famously lively. Gringo Gulch unofficially centers around the Hotel Del Rey right at Parque Morazan.

On the east side of San Jose in San Pedro is “La Calle de Amargura” or The Street of Bitterness, a thriving two block stretch of coffee shops, copy shops, bookstores, cafe’s and bars all mixed together. After dark the streets are alive with teens, students, and bar-hopping professors. La Villa, Omar Khayyam, and Pizza Caccio are popular spots on La Calle de Amargura.

Hard rockers might try Sand Bar in Cocori in San Pedro, or El Yos in Los Yoses, which often have live music and DJ’s. Taxi drivers all know where these hotspots are.

The Gay and Lesbian scene tends to be somewhat discrete in this Catholic country, however there are a few popular gay and lesbian bars in the capital. Deja Vu on Calle 2, La Avispa on Calle 1, Buenas Vibraciones on Paseo de los Estudiantes, Pucho’s Bar and El Bonchinche on Calle 11, and Punto G in San Pedro.