San Sebastian Street Festival
Puerto Rico 2024

San Sebastian Street Festival 2024

Sometimes we just don’t want Christmas to end. The San Sebastian Street Festival helps us say goodbye with a bang for another year. The event fills the old town with locals and visitors, so book your stay as early as possible.

• Visiting Puerto Rico for  Stay at the O:Live Boutique Hotel Located in the exclusive Condado neighbourhood, featuring Mediterranean décor and stylish suites.

When is the San Sebastian Street Festival?

• The event occurs around San Sebastián’s feast day, which is January 20th. Exact start, end and parade dates vary each year.
• The festival is typically held on the third weekend of January, and usually runs from Thursday to Sunday.

The Festival

• The San Sebastian Street Festival or “Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián” is Puerto Rico’s largest festival and is the unofficial closing to the longest holiday season in the world.
• Take a look at our Local San Juan guide for tips on where to stay and play on the island.
• During the multi-day celebrations of the San Sebastian Street Festival, San Juan is  taken over by live music, impromptu dancing in every street corner, and even circus performances!
• At daytime, the old city’s plazas and streets are filled with local artists and artisans, showcasing and selling everything from paintings to handmade jewelry.
• Once the sun goes down, multiple concerts and parties take place across the walled city, and the joyous revelry continues into the late hours of the night.
• About 500 artists and musicians entertain the crowds while hundreds more are dressed up in costumes and masks to parade the streets.
• Stay in the old town, at the heart of the parties, in the “Superb” rated El Colonial Adults Only, featuring stylish suites, open bar and great location.

San Sebastian Street Parade

• Awaiting Dates – The parade featuring large traditional “vejigantes” masks is the major highlight of San Sebastian Street Festival.
• 350 local artisans that set up stalls along Calle San Sebastián and other streets offering traditional handmade jewelry and tasty food. There are many dance performances by professionals and just passers-by.
• Large stages are set up at Plaza del Quinto Centenario, Plaza de Armas, Plaza Colon, and Plaza de La Barandilla featuring live concerts from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m.
• Upgrade your stay in San Juan at the AC Hotel, located in the stylish Condado district, featuring a superb rooftop pool, spacious rooms and excellent location.

Gay events during San Sebastian, San Juan

• Head to the gay after parties in the  Condado, Old San Juan, and Santurce districts.The Condado neighborhood is the most centrally located.
• Santurce neighborhood is the art and nightlife nexus of San Juan. A historic fruit market by day, the area around Plaza del Mercado in Santurce comes alive on weekend nights with packed restaurants and bars spilling onto the streets.
• For some frisky fun in the company of beautiful men head to SX or Temptation, both in Santurce.
• Head to Scandalo for the most popular drag shows and weekend after-hours (from 2:00 am to 12:00 pm).

San Sebastián Festival History

• San Sebastián (Saint Sebastian) was killed for his faith becoming a martyr, and Old San Juan has a street named in his honor.
• San Sebastian festival was first held in the 1950s organized by a church located on San Sebastián Street.
• By 1970s it has become one of the most massive events attracting hundreds of thousands of people.

Recommended Hotels in San Juan

• If you are not staying in Old San Juan, plan to arrive there as early as possible. Traffic into Old San Juan is going to be extremely heavy and slow due to the influx of festival goers and road closures.

Here are the hotels we recommend that have good reviews and keep you close to the parties and street events:

O:Live Boutique Hotel,    AC Hotel by Marriott,    Condado Ocean Club,   Coqui del Mar.