QCOSTARICA – Vehicular control, closures, and detours are part of the headaches for drivers starting today until Saturday, as San José prepares for the return of the Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light) taking place this Saturday, December 17, starting at 6:00 pm.
The event will have the participation of floats, marching bands and much more that will move from the south side of La Sabana, and along Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda, ending in the area of the Plaza de La Democracia.
Complete and partial closures of the area on the east side of La Sabana, Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda can be expected starting today. The Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) will be the main police force to regulate traffic through the area.
Felipe Venegas, chief of the Traffic Police operations made a call to those who travel through that area to be vigilant and be prepared for slowdowns.
Venegas added that gruas (tow trucks) will remove improperly parked vehicles in the area and that starting at noon on Saturday, Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda will be completely closed.
Take into account that for the day of the event the closures will affect traffic in some sections of Ruta 27 and General Cañas (Ruta 1).
Additionally, the operation includes the creation of emergency lanes, especially to access the National Children’s Hospital and the San Juan de Dios Hospital.
For the 2022 edition, the 25th anniversary of the Festival de la Luz, Sandra Cauffman will be the marshal.
“Her life story is a true example for all Costa Ricans, especially for children,” said Johnny Araya, mayor of San José.
According to Araya, Cauffman was chosen because she broke stereotypes by leading in a race that was traditionally “for men.”
Cauffman, who serves as deputy director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), says she is “very honored and quite surprised” by this designation.
To celebrate the 25 years of the Festival of Light in a big way, the Municipality of San José invited marshals from previous years, that includes Franklin Chang-Díaz Maribel Guardia, Claudia Poll, Francisco Rivas, María José Castillo, Glenda Umaña, Andrea Vargas, Rafael Fernández, Isidro Con Wong, Lola Fernández, Rafael “Felo” García and José Sancho, Crisanto Badilla, Néstor Zeledón, Leonardo Chacón, among others.
