The sea behaves early
The main beach is sand with a long break, one of the forgiving ones. At that hour it's people who know and people still learning, and the sun's still bearable. If you're ever going to take a surf lesson, this is the hour.
JACÓ · HIGH SEASON · HONEST GUIDE
JACÓ
IN DECEMBER.
At six in the morning there are already people in the water at Jacó and the town still smells like the night before. By eleven the asphalt burns and anyone not under shade is in the sea. In December that repeats day after day, with more cars, more accents and more people walking the strip than in any other month.
This is for whoever comes to our bass night and stays a few extra days: what the town feels like during the fullest week of its year, told by people who produce right next door. A restaurant ranking, you'll have to find elsewhere.
One of those days, start to finish
The heat runs things
Between eleven and two the street empties and the shade fills up. That's when to eat, sleep a bit or get in the water, and it's the worst stretch to be walking around with a backpack looking for something you didn't book.
Everyone goes back to the sand
The sun drops straight into the Pacific and the beach fills again. It's free, it lasts twenty minutes, and it's still the best reason this town exists. Bring something to drink and sit down.
The strip
The main street holds nearly all of it: sodas, restaurants, bars and people walking back and forth until late. In high season the queue shows up everywhere and parking turns into a sport.
The festival next door
Ours happens off that street, among trees, with two stages used in sequence and tents around the overnight area. Doors open at 12 pm and official music runs from 12 pm to 3 am, so it doesn't compete with the town's night. It swallows it whole.
With a car
The map opens up. Playa Hermosa is a few minutes south and carries a different, more serious wave. North of town is Carara National Park, where people go for birds and real forest. The supermarket stops being an expedition.
It's also what keeps our night simple, when you follow the parking directions and carry your gear to the campsite.
The hard part is parking in town during high season. Nobody's cracked that one.
Without a car
The town itself is walkable. Beach, strip, food and bars all sit on the same axis, and by day you can cover the lot on foot without much drama.
What gets complicated is leaving. Any plan outside town depends on a bus, a taxi or somebody who drives, and so does the last stretch to our site. The four ways to move are compared in getting there.
If you're coming without a car, settle that leg with specific people and in advance, not on the day.
December is the month when everyone renting anything on this coast makes their year. Rates climb, bookings close weeks ahead, and the small places fill first. We don't publish figures because they change every year and that number isn't ours to give, but the advice never changes: if you're staying before or after, lock it down as soon as you know your dates.
And the bass night
Dubstep and experimental bass run from 12 pm to 3 am through Pool and Main stages, with tents among the trees, art ringing the floor, signed restrooms and a gate with check-in. Capacity is 500 people.
Doors and camping open on 31 December 2026 at 12 pm, official music ends at 3 am, and campers stay until 11 am on January 2. Tickets are on sale now. Choose your night and buy tickets for La Selva del Bajo at The Park at Ocean Ranch. The details of the night live on the festival page, and the country-wide picture for that same week sits in New Year's Eve in Costa Rica. If dnb is your thing rather than dubstep, that argument runs in drum and bass in Costa Rica.
Six things worth the trip
- An early surf lesson on the main beach, one of the good ones to start on.
- Playa Hermosa to the south, to watch bigger waves even if you stay dry.
- Carara to the north, to walk forest and see birds without driving half a day.
- Sunset from the sand, sitting, with no plan at all.
- The strip at night, once, to understand what the town is about.
- A whole day outdoors under the trees, which is the thing we're building.
December questions
Does it rain this time of year?
This is dry season on the Pacific side, so sunny days and clear nights are the norm. Normal doesn't mean guaranteed: a short downpour can land and the night humidity shows up regardless. If you're sleeping outside, bring rain protection anyway.
How crowded does it get?
It's the heaviest season of the year on this coast. The strip walks slowly, tables take waiting, and parking runs out early. Our site works the opposite way, with a hard capacity and check-in at the entrance, so there you know exactly how many people are around.
Is it safe to swim?
Like any open Pacific beach, there are rip currents and they change with the day and the tide. Get in where other people are, ask somebody local before you do, and don't go out alone at night. Same goes for your things on the sand: don't leave them without somebody watching.
How far from town is the bass night?
The venue is The Park at Ocean Ranch, exactly 13 minutes from Jacó. A taxi is approximately ₡5,000. Final arrival, parking, and check-in instructions will be shared before the event.
The town in December is not quiet, and nobody comes here hoping it will be.
Keep reading
Music Festival in Jacó, Costa RicaJacó is a party town more than a festival town. What the street offers, and how one bass and dubstep night outdoors nearby fits around it.
December Festivals in Costa RicaHow Costa Rica moves through December, stretch by stretch, and where the 31st bass and dubstep night outdoors near Jacó lands.
Camping in Jacó, Costa Rica: Where to CampWhere to camp in Jacó: hotels, hostels and rentals compared with our 31 December car camp in the trees, with two stages, music until 3 am, and camping until 11 am on January 1.