What’s On in Puerto Viejo? A Guide to Weekly Events, Music & Nightlife
Last updated: August 2026
One of the questions visitors often ask in Puerto Viejo is surprisingly difficult to answer:
What’s happening tonight?
Puerto Viejo has plenty going on — live music, trivia, karaoke, bingo, dancing, cinema, markets and small community gatherings — but much of it never makes it onto the usual travel websites. Events circulate through WhatsApp groups, Facebook posts, chalkboards, posters and word of mouth.
So we've put together this guide to some of the regular weekly events happening around Puerto Viejo.
Schedules here change. Some events are seasonal, some happen every other week, and occasionally a regular night takes a break. Always check with the venue before heading out.
Monday: Start the Week with Live Music
Monday doesn't have to be a quiet night in Puerto Viejo.
At Cacao Huasi, 6:30 pm Monday evening means live guitar music overlooking the Caribbean. It's a relaxed evening — come for dinner, cocktails or chocolate and stay for the music.
Casa Rio also has its regular Monday Calypso and Reggae Night, beginning at 6:30 pm, another good way to start the week with some Caribbean music.
Tuesday: Practice a Language — or Just Have a Conversation
Tuesday brings something a little different.
The Language Club at Hotel Puerto Viejo 6-8pm is a weekly opportunity to meet people and practice languages through conversation.
You don't need to treat it like a class. The point is to talk, meet people and practice with others — exactly the sort of informal gathering Puerto Viejo does particularly well.
Tasty Waves is also known for its Tuesday night atmosphere, with tacos and live music.
Wednesday: Leave Some Space
Not every night needs an itinerary.
Wednesday is a good night to wander through town, try a restaurant you've been curious about, find somewhere for a cocktail, or simply listen for music as you walk.
Puerto Viejo changes constantly, and some of the best events are pop-ups rather than permanent fixtures.
Check local posters, Facebook and WhatsApp groups — or simply ask someone what's happening.
Thursday: Trivia or a Film
Thursday gives you a couple of very different possibilities.
Tasty Waves has a regular Trivia Thursday, a long-running social night that's good for groups or for meeting other people.
Every other Thursday, Cacao Huasi hosts Cine, with a film shown in Spanish. It's a quieter alternative to the bars and part of a growing collection of community events happening around town.
Check the week's schedule before going, particularly for the fortnightly cinema.
Friday: Music or Trance
Friday is when Puerto Viejo begins moving into weekend mode.
Casa Rio hosts Rock & Blues on Friday evenings, with music beginning around 6:30 pm.
Every other Friday at Cacao Huasi, Alexio takes the evening in a completely different direction with a trance night beginning at 9:30pm.
The two couldn't be more different — which is rather the point. Puerto Viejo's music scene has never fitted neatly into a single category.
Saturday: Market, Stories, Music & Karaoke
Saturday has something happening almost all day.
In the morning, visit the Puerto Viejo Farmers & Artisans Market, where local growers, cooks and makers gather around the Casa de la Cultura area. It's worth going early.
Every other Saturday afternoon, Cacao Huasi hosts the Women's Storytelling Circle upstairs. Women gather over cacao to hear a myth or folk tale and then talk, write, draw and explore what the story brings up. There is no charge.
Later in the evening, Tasty Waves has its regular Saturday karaoke, while Casa Rio hosts guest musicians.
Saturday is also one of the nights when simply walking through central Puerto Viejo will usually give you several choices.
Sunday: Bingo & Cumbia
Sunday may be one of the most characteristically Puerto Viejo evenings of the week.
Hot Rocks hosts Sunday bingo, a very different proposition from the dancing and nightlife usually associated with town.
At Cacao Huasi, Sunday is Cumbia night, starting at 9pm with music, food, drinks and dancing overlooking the sea.
It's a nice way to finish the weekend — or begin another week, depending on how you look at it.
And What About Karaoke?
Karaoke appears in several places around Puerto Viejo.
Tasty Waves has a regular Saturday night, and Green Jaguar also hosts karaoke, although we haven't found a sufficiently reliable regular schedule to give it a permanent day here.
If you know they're running a karaoke night while you're in town, it's worth checking directly with them for the current time.
Live Music in Puerto Viejo
The weekly events above aren't the whole music scene.
Live music appears all over town, sometimes on regular nights and sometimes with very little warning. Reggae and calypso have deep roots on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, but on any particular week you might also encounter cumbia, Latin music, rock, blues, acoustic guitar, electronic music or something much harder to categorize. Cacao Huasi, Green Jaguar and Hot Rocks have live music each week, always best to check with each venue directly.
Our advice is simple:
Don't rely entirely on Google.
Look at posters. Check local Facebook groups. Ask at your hotel or hostel. Look at the WhatsApp groups if you have access to them.
And listen.
Sometimes you'll discover what's happening because you can hear it from down the street.
Not Everything Happens at Night
If you're looking for things to do rather than specifically nightlife, keep an eye on afternoon events too.
Markets, workshops, language exchanges, art events and community gatherings are part of Puerto Viejo's social life.
At Cacao Huasi, for example, the Women's Storytelling Circle happens on Saturday afternoon, while our chocolate, watercolor and guided chocolate pairing experiences happen every afternoon around sunset.
That makes it perfectly possible to have an interesting day in Puerto Viejo without ever setting foot in a nightclub.
How to Find Out What's Happening This Week
This is probably the most useful thing we can tell you.
Puerto Viejo doesn't have one definitive events calendar.
For current information, try a combination of:
Facebook and local Facebook groups Cacao Huasi Facebook
instagram Cacao Huasi instagram
Puerto Viejo WhatsApp groups
posters and chalkboards around town
hotel and hostel noticeboards
individual venues' social media
asking people
The last one is underrated.
Ask your bartender. Ask someone at breakfast. Ask the person who rented you your bicycle.
Someone usually knows.
Help Us Keep This Guide Current
Puerto Viejo changes quickly.
A karaoke night moves. A musician goes away for a month. A new trivia night begins. Someone starts showing films in their garden.
That's part of what makes the town interesting — and part of what makes maintaining a guide like this difficult.
We update this page as we learn about changes.
If you run a regular event in Puerto Viejo, or notice that something listed here has changed, let us know. We'd rather have a useful community resource than a long list of outdated events.
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