First National Band Festival 2025 Will Bring Together Bands from Across the Country

The National Center for Culture will host the first National Band Festival 2025, a production of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, celebrating the 180th anniversary of the Band Directorate, as well as the declaration of the National Concert Bands and Municipal Bands as Distinguished Institutions of Costa Rican Music and Culture.

The event, produced by the Ministry of Culture and Youth, will take place from May 9 to 11 at the Fidel Gamboa Auditorium, located at the National Center for Culture.
Participating groups include the Distinguished National Bands of Cartago, Alajuela, and San José, as well as bands from Zarcero, Guadalupe, Turrialba, Limón, Naranjo, Acosta, and Nicoya.
The Oregon Wind Ensemble from the University of Oregon will be featured as the international guest.
The program is free and open to the public.

The National Center for Culture (CENAC) will host the first National Band Festival 2025, a production of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, celebrating the 180th anniversary of the Band Directorate, as well as the declaration of the National Concert Bands and Municipal Bands as Distinguished Institutions of Costa Rican Music and Culture.

Musical performances will take place on May 9, 10, and 11 at the Fidel Gamboa Auditorium, located at the National Center for Culture (CENAC); the entire concert program is free and open to the public.

The Festival will be an open space for bands, Costa Rican families, and all music lovers; the program includes various repertoires, from popular neighborhood music and works by Costa Rican composers to traditional marches.

The musical presentations will feature concerts by the Distinguished National Bands of Cartago, Alajuela, and San José; the Municipal Bands of Acosta, Guadalupe, Nicoya, Turrialba, and Zarcero; the Municipal Philharmonic of Naranjo; Bands from the University of Costa Rica’s Caribbean campus; the Castella Conservatory Band; and the Band of the Buenaventura Corrales School.

Additionally, the program will feature international guests: The Oregon Wind Ensemble from the University of Oregon.

Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth, stated: “The Ministry of Culture and Youth has always supported its concert bands, which celebrate 180 years in 2025; it is truly a source of pride that this program is always close to the communities. However, this first National Band Festival is an invitation to bring together all the other bands in the country, regardless of whether they are school rhythmic bands, national ministry bands, or community marching bands. This is an effort to ensure that all bands in the country feel that the Ministry of Culture and Youth and CENAC are their allies.”

For his part, Alexis Morales Barrientos, Director of Bands, said: “Recently, the highest level of recognition was granted to National Bands, Municipal Bands, and Philharmonic Groups, declaring them Distinguished Institutions of Costa Rican Music and Culture and giving them a well-deserved space for their role in building much of our nation’s cultural fabric. Therefore, through this festival, we find it necessary to gradually call on all these bands to create a nationwide movement and build a true community that strengthens this vital sector.”

Program | National Band Festival 2025

Friday, May 9, 2025

1:30 p.m. | Opening
2:00 p.m. | Municipal Band of Zarcero
3:00 p.m. | Castella Conservatory Band
4:00 p.m. | Distinguished National Band of Cartago

Saturday, May 10, 2025

11:00 a.m. | Buenaventura Corrales School Band
12:00 p.m. | Municipal Band of Guadalupe
1:00 p.m. | Bands from the University of Costa Rica, Caribbean campus
2:00 p.m. | Distinguished National Band of Alajuela
3:00 p.m. | Municipal Band of Turrialba

Sunday, May 11, 2025

11:00 a.m. | Oregon Wind Ensemble – University of Oregon (International Guests)
12:00 p.m. | Distinguished National Band of San José
1:00 p.m. | Municipal Philharmonic of Naranjo
2:00 p.m. | Municipal Band of Acosta
3:00 p.m. | Municipal Band of Nicoya – Closing

Admission is free and open to the public.

Inauguration of the Magón Awards Gallery. The Minister of Culture and Youth, Jorge Rodríguez Vives, also announced that the Ministry will inaugurate the Magón Awards Gallery, a space located in the National Center for Culture (CENAC).

The National Magón Culture Award is the highest honor granted by the Costa Rican State through the Ministry of Culture and Youth, in recognition of individuals whose life work has significantly contributed to the development, promotion, and strengthening of national culture. This award is presented annually as a tribute to those who have left a meaningful mark on the country’s cultural life. The gallery will be open to the public and located in the Small Tower of CENAC.

Over more than six decades, this recognition has been awarded to artistic figures such as Francisco Amighetti Ruiz, Carlos Luis Fallas, Fabián Dobles, Lilia Ramos, Alberto Cañas, Manuel de la Cruz González, Carmen Naranjo, Arnoldo Herrera, José León Sánchez, Ronald Bonilla, Arabella Salaverry, Fernando Carballo, Juan Luis Rodríguez Sibaja, among others. In 2024, the Magón Award was granted to singer-songwriter, musical director, sociologist, and researcher of Caribbean Costa Rican musical culture, Manuel Monestel.