A month by month events calendar for Santa Teresa, Cóbano and the southern Nicoya Peninsula from November 2026 through 2027, with organisers, full moon dates and where each date is published.
The events that anchor the 2026/27 calendar in Santa Teresa are the full moons (24 November, 23 December, 22 January and monthly after that), the New Year's Eve beach parties at Banana Beach and Ranchos Itaúna, the two week Cóbano fiestas in mid February, the Rocamar Magic Hat Classic lifeguard fundraiser in February, the Santa Teresa Film Festival in February 2027, and Semana Santa with Easter on 28 March 2027.
An event that has run in past years but has no 2027 date yet shows its last known date, so you can plan around the usual window.
The short version
- Confirmed dates: every full moon, the Costa Rican public holidays, Semana Santa (Holy Thursday and Good Friday on 25 and 26 March 2027), and the Santa Teresa Lifeguard Academy on 2 to 7 November 2027.
- Month confirmed, days not: the Santa Teresa Film Festival (February 2027), the Cóbano civic fiestas (mid February, about two weeks) and the Cóbano district anniversary fiestas (August).
- Usual pattern, 2027 date not announced: the Magic Hat Classic (21 February in 2026), the national surf circuit stop in Santa Teresa (13 to 15 March in 2026) and the Montezuma sustainability festival (22 March in 2025).
- Where dates appear first: Instagram accounts of the organisers, Starticket for the jungle parties, and the Santa Teresa Lifeguards site.
Where dates are published
- Parties and full moons: @jungleproductions.cr and Starticket (starticket.cr/en/o/188/jungle-productions), @333wonderland333, Ranchos Itaúna (+506 2640-0095), Banana Beach (bananabeachcr.com). See the jungle parties guide.
- Lifeguard events: santateresalifeguards.org, under "What's New".
- Surf contests: the Costa Rican Surf Federation (fedesurfcr.com) announces the national circuit, which in 2026 started in February with a Santa Teresa stop.
- Film festival: santateresafilmfestival.com (info@santateresafilmfest.com).
- Cóbano fiestas: the Cóbano district council and the local fairground. The nicoyapeninsula.com site describes the format each year.
- Weekly gatherings: the Thursday market and the weekly venue nights in the nightlife calendar.
A local events guide published in August 2026 says it plainly: there is no single complete permanent calendar. Look for a post that carries the full date and year before you buy anything.
November 2026
The dry season starts to build and the weekly party nights restart.
- Full moon: Tuesday 24 November (Costa Rica time, early morning). Ranchos Itaúna and Jungle Productions usually mark it, and they often move big parties to the nearest weekend.
- Retreat weeks: Pura Vida Adventures runs women's surf and yoga weeks on 14 to 20 November and a coed "Surfsgiving" on 23 to 29 November, which fill beachfront rooms in that week.
- Ongoing: Thursday market and the weekly party nights at Somos, Tikiliano and Ranchos Itaúna.
December 2026
The high season opens, and rooms fill from mid December.
- Full moon: Wednesday 23 December.
- Christmas Eve and Day: Ranchos Itaúna, Banana Beach and Uma hold festive dinners, mostly by reservation, per a local holiday guide published in December 2025. Tropical Latino's Shambala restaurant serves a Costa Rican Christmas dinner. Christmas Day (25 December) is a public holiday.
- Pura Vida Adventures New Year's week: 27 December to 3 January.
- New Year's Eve, 31 December: Banana Beach has held the town's largest beach party for more than 20 years, with a dinner first and the party from 10pm. Last year's edition was headlined by the producer Darco and listed by Wonderland on the ticketing site Get In. Ranchos Itaúna's party, billed as 20 years running, sold at $44.50 early bird and $55.50 general through Starticket. The 2026/27 lineups and prices have not been published. Montezuma's New Year is quieter, with drum circles and fire dancers on the beach and no fireworks, per a Montezuma hotel.
- Jungle parties: last season Jungle Productions ran nights on 19 and 27 December. Expect announcements in November.
January 2027
- 1 January, Friday: national holiday.
- Full moon: Friday 22 January. A Friday full moon is the best-placed one of the season.
- Jungle Productions ran Lit Reggae Night and a secret-location full moon in January 2026, so expect similar bookings.
- Pura Vida Adventures: women's week 9 to 15 January, Women 50+ week 18 to 24 January.
- Mid January is also the date of the Fiestas of San Francisco de Coyote, a civic fiesta farther up the peninsula, per nicoyapeninsula.com.
February 2027
The busiest events month.
- Cóbano Fiestas Cívicas, mid February, about two weeks. The fairground is 1 km from central Cóbano. Daily bull riding at 5pm and dancing in the community hall, food and craft stalls, the horse parade (tope) on the Saturday of the second week, the national rodeo championship on the last Sunday and fireworks at the close. The 2027 dates have not been published, and the sources I found do not name an organiser, so ask the Cóbano district council.
- Rocamar Magic Hat Classic: Santa Teresa Lifeguards' costume surf contest and raffle at Rocamar, held on 22 February 2025 and 21 February 2026, with a $50 entry donation in 2026, a DJ set at sunset, and proceeds going to the volunteer lifeguards. The 2027 date is not announced.
- Santa Teresa Film Festival: five days of screenings and panels in February 2027, with submissions open and the dates still unpublished on the festival site.
- Full moon: Saturday 20 February. A Saturday full moon in peak season will draw the largest crowd of the year.
- Valentine's Day, 14 February: Jungle Productions ran a ticketed jungle night on the date in 2026.
- Pura Vida Adventures: women's 6 to 12 February and coed 15 to 21 February.
March 2027
- Full moon: Monday 22 March.
- Semana Santa: Holy Thursday and Good Friday fall on 25 and 26 March 2027, and Easter Sunday is 28 March. Costa Ricans drive down for the whole week, so everything on the strip books out and the Paquera ferry queues run long. Jungle Productions held a Good Friday party in town in 2026. Book rooms and ferry times months ahead.
- National surf circuit: in 2026 Santa Teresa hosted the second stop of the Costa Rican national circuit on 13 to 15 March. The 2027 calendar has not been announced.
- Montezuma Sustainability Festival: first held on Saturday 22 March 2025, with beach cleanups, open-air art and live music. No 2027 date is confirmed.
- Retreat weeks: Pura Vida Adventures women's 1 to 7 March, coed 13 to 19 March.
April 2027
- Full moon: Tuesday 20 April.
- 11 April, Sunday: Juan Santamaría Day, a national holiday.
- Retreat weeks: 3 to 9 April (Women 50+) and 17 to 23 April.
- The dry season winds down through the month.
May and June 2027
- 1 May, Saturday: Labour Day, a national holiday.
- Full moons: Thursday 20 May and Friday 18 June.
- The 2026 national surf circuit finished in June, with the last stop in Playa Hermosa de Garabito, which is near Jacó and not the Playa Hermosa on this coast. The 2027 circuit has not been announced.
- Green season arrives and the party nights thin out, though the weekly venues keep running.
July 2027
- Full moon: Sunday 18 July.
- 25 July, Sunday: Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya, celebrated across Guanacaste and the peninsula with folkloric dances, marimba and horse parades.
August 2027
- Cóbano district anniversary fiestas. A local surf site says Cóbano holds its festejos twice a year, in February for the civic fiestas and again in August to mark the district's founding, with a rodeo, bull riding, a tope and a carnival. The specific 2027 dates are not announced.
- Full moon: Tuesday 17 August.
- 2 August, Monday: Virgen de los Ángeles, a public holiday that employers are not required to pay. 15 August, Sunday: Mother's Day, a national holiday.
September to December 2027
- 15 September, Wednesday: Independence Day, a national holiday, and the same day as the September full moon (Wednesday 15 September, evening).
- Mid September to October: many businesses close for maintenance, with the quietest streets of the year.
- Full moons: Friday 15 October, Saturday 13 November and Monday 13 December.
- Lifeguard Academy: Santa Teresa Lifeguards have opened registration for 2 to 7 November 2027.
- 1 December, Wednesday: Abolition of the Army Day, a public holiday that is not obligatory pay.
- 25 December, Saturday: Christmas.
- New Year's Eve 2027 parties will follow the same pattern as above.
Every full moon, November 2026 to December 2027
| Date | Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2026 | Sunday | Next one |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday | Morning |
| 23 Dec 2026 | Wednesday | Christmas week |
| 22 Jan 2027 | Friday | |
| 20 Feb 2027 | Saturday | Cóbano fiestas week |
| 22 Mar 2027 | Monday | Semana Santa week |
| 20 Apr 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 20 May 2027 | Thursday | |
| 18 Jun 2027 | Friday | |
| 18 Jul 2027 | Sunday | |
| 17 Aug 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 15 Sep 2027 | Wednesday | Independence Day |
| 15 Oct 2027 | Friday | |
| 13 Nov 2027 | Saturday | |
| 13 Dec 2027 | Monday |
These are astronomical dates in Costa Rica time, which I calculated, so a venue may hold its party on the closest weekend.
How to plan around the calendar
- Book the New Year, Semana Santa and February weeks first, since they fill months ahead. The best time to visit guide and the stays guide help.
- Check the rainy season guide before planning anything in September and October.
- For the weekly rhythm outside festivals, see best parties and best clubs.
Browse the nightlife directory and the live events page for this week's listings.
FAQ
When is the Cóbano fiesta in 2027?
The Fiestas Cívicas of Cóbano take place in mid February and last about two weeks. The 2027 dates were not announced as of 9 October 2026. Ask the Cóbano district council or watch local Facebook groups.
When are the full moon parties in Santa Teresa?
The full moons fall on 24 November 2026, 23 December 2026, 22 January 2027, 20 February 2027 and 22 March 2027, then monthly. Ranchos Itaúna and Jungle Productions host the big ones, often moved to the nearest weekend.
What happens in Santa Teresa on New Year's Eve?
Banana Beach and Ranchos Itaúna hold the two biggest beach parties, with dinner first and dancing from about 10pm until sunrise. In 2025 the Ranchos party sold at $44.50 early and $55.50 general. The 2026 details had not been published as of 9 October.
When is Semana Santa in 2027?
Holy Thursday is 25 March, Good Friday 26 March and Easter Sunday 28 March 2027. The peninsula is full of Costa Rican families that week, so reserve rooms and ferry crossings early.
Is there a surf contest in Santa Teresa in 2027?
The national circuit stopped in Santa Teresa on 13 to 15 March in 2026, and the Magic Hat Classic costume contest ran on 21 February. Neither has a 2027 date yet. The Costa Rican Surf Federation and Santa Teresa Lifeguards publish them.
Where can I find this week's events?
Follow the venue and promoter Instagram accounts for Somos, Tikiliano, Ranchos Itaúna, Banana Beach and Jungle Productions, and check the events page. Look for a post with the full date and year.
