The Light Festival 2025: road closures in San José

Published on 10 December 2025

The 2025 Light Festival will mark a historic event in its celebration: for the first time, the route will be completely changed and will take place around La Sabana Metropolitan Park this Saturday, December 13. Due to this change in route, the Traffic Police will implement closures and detours that will affect mobility in much of the western sector of San José starting on the Wednesday before the event.

Pre-event night closures

Preparations will begin with partial closures on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., affecting:

42nd Street
Route 27
West side of La Sabana Park (Route 104, Pavas)

These closures will allow for the installation of platforms, bleachers, and other infrastructure. On Friday, December 12, starting at 10:00 p.m., the first three blocks of Paseo Colón, from the statue of León Cortés Castro, will be closed to accommodate the floats. Starting at 11:00 p.m., security fencing will be put in place and gradual closures will begin, which will remain in effect until the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14.

Closings on the day of The Light Festival

Saturday the 13th will be the day with the most restrictions:

From 11:00 a.m.: partial restrictions on the section between Funerales Vida and the National Gymnasium.
From midnight: total closure of that sector.

The Traffic Police warns that the blockades around La Sabana will cause a domino effect on Circunvalación, General Cañas, and multiple roads to the south and west of the capital. Therefore, it is recommended to visit San José only if strictly necessary.

Side roads near La Sabana will be closed all afternoon and evening, although the parallel route to the Comptroller General of the Republic will remain open. Calle 42, on the east side of the park, will be the only road with controlled traffic.

Alternative routes and detours

To reduce impacts, the Municipality of San José established four main corridors:

Towards the south
Two entry and exit lanes will remain open (pending confirmation depending on field operations).

Towards the north

Operational route along Avenue 3 for residents, businesses, and public transportation.
Traffic on Route 2 enabled for connection with Route 39 and the Pavas sector.

The East

Second Avenue and Paseo Colón (between 36th and 14th Streets) are open.
Crosswalks enabled on streets 40, 38, and 36.

Toward the West

Exits and entrances available via avenues 2 and 4.

Vehicles coming from the Water Monument must turn east at the Nissan area. To leave the capital, drivers must drive behind the Más x Menos supermarket and then merge onto General Cañas Highway. After 11:00 a.m., heavy vehicles will not be able to continue toward the capital beyond the Water Monument and must use the Beltway.

Large-scale security operation

More than 1,000 people will participate in the operation, including:

600 municipal police officers
200 law enforcement officers
60 traffic officers
150 private security officers
50 specialized volunteers

La Sabana will be completely fenced off, with 11 official controlled access points, including:

Walkways over Route 27
10th Avenue in front of Valle de Paz Funeral Home
Journalists’ Association Bridge
3A Avenue on 48th Street

Special measures during the event

Prohibition on alcohol sales within a 200-meter radius of La Sabana throughout Saturday, December 13.
Prohibition on the detonation of fireworks.
No street vending will be permitted inside or in the vicinity of the park.
The event will be smoke-free.

The closures will be lifted gradually around midnight on Saturday, with 35 traffic officers regulating traffic flow throughout the day.