Ministry of Culture and Youth promotes a nationwide program combining art, spirituality, and community
National Concert Bands, Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, and the National Theater Workshop bring the celebrations to life
San José, March 17, 2026. The streets of downtown San José will once again be filled with devotion, identity, and community gathering during Holy Week, thanks to a coordinated effort between the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, the Municipality of San José, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
This joint initiative will transform traditional processions into a comprehensive cultural experience, where art, faith, and collective memory intertwine to strengthen the sense of community.
As part of this program, actors, designers, technicians, cultural managers, and the National Band of San José will bring to life staged performances accompanying emblematic moments such as the Procession of the Encounter and the Holy Burial procession. These performances are made possible through the leadership of Teatro Popular Melico Salazar and the active participation of the National Theater Workshop, whose training processes are directly integrated into the production, creating an experience that combines artistic creation, professional development, and cultural tradition.
While this production will have its epicenter in central San José, the Ministry of Culture and Youth is deploying a nationwide program. Across all provinces, the National Concert Bands will accompany Holy Week celebrations, bringing music, tradition, and a sense of community to different regions, reaffirming their role as one of the cultural institutions closest to the public.
This program brings together the capabilities of Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, the territorial work of the National Concert Bands, and the training provided by the National Theater Workshop, ensuring cultural access throughout the country, activating public spaces, strengthening tourism, and generating opportunities for the cultural sector.
“These representations remind us that culture is also a way of preserving a nation’s spirituality. When the streets fill with people walking together and art helps tell a story that has endured for centuries, what emerges is a shared experience of belonging. From the Ministry, we embrace this commitment to our artists, to cultural production, and to a society that deserves to live its faith and traditions in community, reaffirming that this experience belongs to the entire country,” said Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth.
Activities will take place from March 28 to April 5, with routes connecting the Metropolitan Cathedral to various parishes in central San José, reinforcing the city as a cultural meeting point during this season.
