In 1989, during the administration of President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias Sánchez, the San José International Theater Festival for Peace held its first edition.
In September 1991, the PUSC government and Minister of Culture Aida Faingezicht formalized the festival through an executive decree that officially named it the International Arts Festival and institutionally anchored it to the Melico Salazar Popular Theater. This decree also created the position of a permanent executive director for the festival.
In 1995, a key decision was made: to divide the program into two events that would alternate each year:
FIA (International Arts Festival): even-numbered years, featuring artists from around the world.
FNA (National Arts Festival): odd-numbered years, focused on Costa Rican talent.
In 2026, the guest country will be Mexico. For me, the FIA is one of the most important festivals on the continent. A cultural space like few others. The joy of seeing strangers strolling through the city streets, happily enjoying all kinds of cultural activities—concerts, theater, painting, poetry—is an absolute privilege.
This year, I will strive to have People of Costa Rica provide the most comprehensive coverage of this festival possible.
For those interested, I have created an interactive agenda with filters for all the events of FIA 2026.
