I love carnival. me too love Puerto Rico, especially Old San Juan. But somehow I never combined the two. okay. I have never experienced a San Sebastian street festival.
As much as I have visited Puerto Rico many times (literally dozens) and love Carnival, this truth is truly sad. Everything I have heard and read about this festival suggests that I would absolutely love it.
So how come I’ve missed all the fun of San Sebastian’s street festivals over the past few years?
Part of the problem is timing. San Sebatián Fest, as it is more widely known in Puerto Rico, always takes place in January. You can especially enjoy the third weekend in January from Thursday to Saturday. Unfortunately, those dates were pretty busy during my career in travel promotion.
Caribbean travel industry conferences, customer planning meetings, press conferences and more all clash with SanSe on a regular basis.
Even if your calendar is empty at the end of January, there may be another obstacle: budget.
Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián concludes the Christmas season in Puerto Rico. For many, it’s that time of year when most of us are suffering from a post-holiday financial hangover.
Yep, not the best time for a blowout weekend party in San Juan.
mostly.
But next year (2026) may be a unique opportunity for me. The end of January is free for changes. We also checked out a few Airbnb listings during SanSe 2026 with viejo san juan prices starting around $150 per night.
Will the moon and stars align so that I can finally enjoy my first San Sebastian Street Festival?
If so, we hope to see you there!
