# Costa Rican cultural and gastronomic promotion

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/costa-rican-cultural-and-gastronomic-promotion
> Updated: 2026-10-07T17:25:05.000Z. Sources: 3. Developments: 2.

Costa Rica has initiated several programs to promote national culture and gastronomy tourism. The Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ) announced ‘Tiempo de Compartir’, a 39-day cultural season scheduled from November 19 to December 27, 2026. This season includes 18 activities such as the 506 Costa Rica Jazz Fest and ‘Posadas de Luz’ to reinforce national identity and support local artists.

Minister Jorge Rodríguez Vives stated that the programming seeks to ‘recover traditional year-end celebration elements’. The initiative is informed by National Culture Survey data, which indicates that 94.5% of the population considers Costa Rican food important and shows a significant increase in interest in national music over the last decade. One of the inaugural events is the 506 Costa Rica Jazz Fest, running from November 19–21 at the Heritage Center and the National Center for Culture (CENAC), featuring the United States as the guest country.

In a related effort to boost the tourism sector, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) launched the second season of the culinary reality program ‘Costa Rica, un país de sabores por descubrir’. The competition features gastronomy students preparing traditional regional dishes, such as ‘picadillos’ and ‘rondón limonense’, to highlight the country’s diverse culinary traditions and stimulate economic activity in local food supply chains.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-07: Costa Rica launches culinary reality show to promote gastronomy tourism

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute has launched the second season of a culinary reality show to promote the nation's traditional gastronomy and boost tourism through local flavors.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/costa-rica-launches-culinary-reality-show-to-promote-gastronomy-tourism

### 2026-10-06: Costa Rica announces holiday cultural season

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture and Youth has launched ‘Tiempo de Compartir’, a 39-day cultural season featuring 18 events to promote local artists and national traditions during the 2026 holiday period.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/costa-rica-announces-holiday-cultural-season

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Cite as: Costa Rican cultural and gastronomic promotion. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/costa-rican-cultural-and-gastronomic-promotion