54 Hours Without the Sale of Alcohol
Come midnight on Wednesday (technically 00:01 Thursday) to 6am Saturday morning, Costa Rica will be "dry", as the sale of liquor, beer and wine is suspended for 54 hours.

The Fuerza Pubica will be in charge of the detail of ensuring that all bars, cantinas, supermarkets and any place where alcohol is sold publicly are shut down or they cannot sell alcohol - under any circumstances.

The closing is part of the Semana Santa rituals. The only other times that Costa Rica goes "dry" is during elections and political rallies surrounding elections.

Semana Santa is time for Costa Ricans to take in the beaches and other recreational areas of the country. It is also a time when many visitors are in Costa Rica. A check of several hotels in San José and the beach areas that cater mainly to foreigners, say they are booked solid for the week.

Costa Ricans know of the "dry" rule and prepare ahead of time. But, many visitors find themselves frustrated when the bar, come midnight Wednesday has to close and police start with their ritual of placing a special "closure" tape on the premises and areas were alcohol is sold.

Supermarkets block off the entire liquor, beer and wine areas, while some bars care closed completely, others just have their liquor cabinets and beer coolers "taped".

In addition to the no sale of alcohol, visitors will find some backlogs at the airport and other border crossings, when come Thursday and Friday, customs and immigration services will be reduced to a minimum level. Any customs and immigration problems will take longer to resolve.