Fiestas de La Calle San Sebastián 2015
Its party time! The largest street festival in Puerto Rico will take place January 15-18 in Old San Juan.
The origins of the festival date back to the 1950s, when a parish priest of San José Church (second oldest church in the Americas) organized the festival to raise funds for various church buildings and named it in honor of Catholic martyr, St. Sebastian. A few years later it was discontinued but Ricardo Alegría, political advocate and historian, reinstated the festival in the 1970s to benefit an elementary school in the Old San Juan.
Today, the festival is Puerto Rico’s largest street party. Thousands of people flock to Old San Juan for this 4-day celebration. If you have never been to Las Fiestas, don’t miss out! Over 350 artisans will display their work in the Cuartel de Ballajá starting at 10AM. One of our favorite events are the cabezudo parades. You will see people dressed in costume wearing heads of enormous proportions.
Shows and performances will take place in the following squares: Plaza Colón, Plaza del Quinto Centenario, La Barandilla and Plaza de Armas, among other areas.
For the itinerary, click here: https://goo.gl/sz85xh
The festival is a wonderful event and lots of fun, but if you hate crowds, go early! Also, do not drive your rental car into town and opt for public transportation. Traffic is very heavy and it might take hours to get into town by car (see public transport details below). As the evening draws near, the festival switches from a cultural event to a large, crazy party. Yes, drinking is permitted on the street.
Please note during the four-day festival, both forts will be closed.
Public Transportation Info via Discovering Puerto Rico:
AMA – SACRED HEART STATION TO OLD SAN JUAN
• Thursday to Saturday until 10:00 pm
• Sunday: Until 9:00 pm
AMA – FROM OLD SAN JUAN to SACRED HEART STATION
• Thursday trips will be offered until 1:00 am
• Friday and Saturday until 2:00 am
• Sunday 12:00 midnight
AMA – SPECIAL RATE:
• Travel by bus: $1.00 round trip between Sacred Heart of Old San Juan
• Payment is in cash
• The return trip by bus from Old San Juan to the Sacred station will not be charged
TREN URBANO:
• Operating on regular schedule
• Except the route back to Bayamón, Sacred Heart will keep operating until the last bus from Old San Juan
• If you use the Tren Urbano you may park your vehicle in any of the parking lots that are available in the train stations.
CITY TRAIN RATE:
• $ 1.50
• Free – Persons over 75 years
ATM – MARITIME TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY:
Cataño to San Juan: 6:00 am to 10:00 pm – Thursday to Sunday
San Juan to Cataño: Thursday 12:00 midnight
Friday and Saturday until 1:00 am
Sunday 11:00 pm
ATM RATE
50 cents
25 cents – Ages 60 to 74
Free – Children under 3 and people over 75
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION:
Coliseo Roberto Clemente, Roosevelt Ave., San Juan
$ 5 parking covers the passage for 1 person
Additional passengers accompanying pay $1
PR Convention Center has 4000 Parking Spaces and will be charging $8.
Have fun!
By: Paulina Salach
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Photo credits: Boriken 365, El Nuevo Día, Gustavo Antonetti & KSMSTV