Q COSTA RICA — Each December, the Tope Nacional (horse parade) has brought horses and riders into the streets of San José, turning the capital’s year-end festivities into a public celebration of horsemanship and a tradition shaped by Costa Rica’s rural history.
The national parade is traditionally held on Dec. 26, the Día Nacional del Caballista, or National Horseman’s Day.
The exact origins are disputed. One account links the word tope to the Spanish verb topar—to meet—and traces the parade to fairs held after the 1871 earthquake that damaged San José and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Riders from nearby towns are said to have traveled to the capital with funds and supplies for rebuilding, meeting local horsemen along the way.
Historians describe the tope not as the product of a single beginning, but as a custom shaped by several strands of Costa Rica’s social and economic past. Over time, the practical role of the horse gave way to spectacle. Riders began gathering to display their horses and their skill in the saddle. In San José, the parade became part of the holiday season, when crowds lined central streets to watch riders pass in distinctive attire, often on carefully groomed horses.
That history also includes debate over who the tradition serves and what it costs. In 2024, San José Mayor Diego Miranda said the municipality would stop organizing the event, citing its financial burden and arguing that public funds should be directed to community projects.
This Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the San José Municipal Council faced a motion seeking to declare the central canton a “territory free from animal mistreatment and topes.”
Despite the presence of animal welfare advocates on the Municipal Council and the support of five of the eleven council members and San José mayor Diego Miranda, the motion failed to advance for discussion by the Council and must now be reviewed by the Legal Affairs Committee.
“I lived in Plaza Víquez and saw the tope firsthand—I saw the unloading of 5,000 animals. To be frank, it’s a major inconvenience for the neighbors: having animals like horses—which are large creatures—unloaded there, blocking residents from leaving their homes, and leaving the street covered in manure (boñiga in Spanish). The street would remain covered in manure for an entire week, and we don’t even have a watering system to clean the streets,” stated Miranda.
Miranda’s words resonate with many residents along the parade route, as well as visitors to the annual Carnaval Nacional (National Carnival) held until its cancellation in 2024, the day after the Tope Nacional.
For the 2026 season, the Tope Nacional is set to return to San José after having been cancelled by the San José Municipality for two years—a period during which it was hosted by the local governments of Montes de Oca and San Ramón, respectively.
The Tope will once again lead into “Costa Rica de Fiesta,” taking the place of the Carnaval and keeping the year-end tradition alive. The Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (Ministry of Culture and Youth) will host a province-wide holiday program through December 27, featuring a grand parade that celebrates the cultural heritage, music, and classic cars of all seven provinces of Costa Rica.
In response to concerns raised by city council members regarding the potential mistreatment of horses during the event, the ministro de Cultura y Juventud (Minister of Culture and Youth), Jorge Rodríguez, assured that the necessary measures would be taken.
“We are following all the precautions and recommendations requested by Senasa. The ‘Tope Nacional’ is a cherished tradition that brings families and the Costa Rican community together on the streets of the capital; therefore, we will be able to proceed with the event as planned,” Rodríguez explained.
The 2026 Tope Nacional route will begin at Plaza González Víquez on the east side of San José, wind through downtown, and end at La Sabana Metropolitan Park on the west side.