4 After-Christmas & New Year’s Traditions in Costa Rica

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Tamarindo on New Year’s Eve brings fire dancers onto the beach!

Costa Rica’s holiday season is unabashedly festive: color, lights, fireworks, and food abound! Happily – and as you may have already noticed, if you’re visiting this season – the celebrations don’t end on December 25; they continue, and continue, and continue, well past New Year’s and straight into January! You don’t want to miss a Costa Rica new years event!

Here’s the rundown of what to expect (and seek out), if you’re visiting Costa Rica and Tamarindo over the holidays:

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‘Tis the Season: Traditions to Celebrate Christmas in Costa Rica

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sand snowman celebrates Christmas in Costa Rica

It’s beginning to look a lot like… a tropical Christmas in Costa Rica!

There’s no Thanksgiving in Costa Rica so technically, we are go for festivities any time after Halloween. That said, while stores often start promoting Christmas as early as August (we know ­– ugh), most official Christmas events don’t kick off until late November.

Here are some of our favorite Christmas in Costa Rica traditions:

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Tamarindo Nightlife: 6 Bar-Restaurants You Won’t Want to Miss

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Tamarindo bar-restaurants offer excellent sunset views

Enjoy drinks and a view at the best Tamarindo bar-restaurants

There’s something about Tamarindo life that lends itself perfectly to the bar-restaurant vibe: Order up a frosty drink, dig your toes into the sand, and watch the sun go down as you sample some of the freshest seafood, juiciest pub-grub, and other tasty delicacies Costa Rica has to offer. So, what are the best Tamarindo bar-restaurants?

The good news is that many of our favorite Tamarindo restaurants offer a decent drinks menu: bottled beers, fresh fruit cocktails, and at least a few red and white wines. But, if you’re looking for a more robust bar menu, then these six Tamarindo bar-restaurants will pull double-duty to quench your thirst and sate your stomach.

In alphabetical order:

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Tamarindo Restaurant Guide: The Best Seafood in Town

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best seafood in Tamarindo: lobster coconut salad

You could be here. Dining on lobster-coconut salad. And not just this, but all of the best seafood in Tamarindo!

When you vacation by the sea, you want to dine from the sea. And in Tamarindo, that’s easy. Too easy! Our small town offers dozens upon dozens of excellent restaurants, including many with menus that promise the Catch of the Day, shrimp everything, tropical lobster, and other delicious seafood dishes. Indeed, it’s hard to define the best seafood in Tamarindo.

So, what to choose? First things first: Try a little bit of everything. Try several of our local fishes, and add in some ceviche (Costa Rican-style, with plenty of lemon!), shrimp cocktail, and grilled lobster. At the very least. Because honestly, Tamarindo offers so many seafood options that you could breakfast, lunch, and dinner a different plate every day, and still go home having only tasted only a fraction of what the town has to offer.

With so many choices, you’re going to need a little bit of guidance. So, we’ve pulled together this list of our favorites: the best seafood in Tamarindo. Seven restaurants, dozens of dishes. So good, they’re un-rankable, so we’re going old school (as in, elementary school) and presenting our favorites in alphabetical order:

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Tamarindo: The Greatest Halloween Party in Costa Rica

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Tamarindo Halloween

Are you ready for this level of epic? Welcome to Halloween in Tamarindo!

Packing for a visit to Tamarindo? If so, did you remember your wart, your witch’s hat, and your pointy buckled shoes? Because if you’re here for Halloween, you’re going to need them. And even so, you may still be underdressed. Because a Tamarindo Halloween is a serious affair.

For years, Halloween in Tamarindo has been a Big Deal. Arguably, the Biggest Deal of any town or city in Costa Rica.

We’re a go-big-or-go-home kind of Halloween haunt.

So, don’t go home. Go big! Because it’s going to be fun.

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Tamarindo Nightlife: The Best Live Music in Town

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Pangas hosts live music in Tamarindo

Though chill by most international standards, Tamarindo is one of Costa Rica’s most bustling beach towns. And in Costa Rica, that equates to great entertainment! Specifically, great food, craft beers & cocktails, dancing, and other Tamarindo after-hours amusements. Including live music in Tamarindo, our focus for today.

Local and visiting musicians flock to Tamarindo, where local bars, restaurants, and clubs host live music events almost every night of the week. From reggae Thursdays to acoustic Sundays, there’s always something – and often, many more than one something – happening in Tamarindo’s nightlife. Here’s our guide to some of the best live music in Tamarindo. In no particular order:

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Tamarindo with Kids: 24 Family-Friendly Things to Do

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surfing in Tamarindo with kids

If you’re visiting Tamarindo with kids, you’re probably scrambling for what to do. Aside from swimming and surfing, what are the most family-friendly activities in Tamarindo? Because, as our kids are happy to tell us, a single canopy tour just won’t cut it anymore. (Kids these days!)

Well, not to worry. We’re pros at Tamarindo family vacations and, even more importantly, we have kids ourselves. Kids who spend all day, every day in Tamarindo. We KNOW of what we speak.

So, here’s our list of the best activities and can’t-miss experiences for visiting Tamarindo with kids. From the things your guidebook tells you (surfing! ziplines! ATV tours!) to everything it doesn’t (pottery making! the waterpark! picnic spots!), we’ve built a list of our favorite things to do, activities, and suggestions for enjoying Tamarindo with kids.

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