Costa Maya ends with Belize night

San Pedro was jamming this past weekend as the annual Costa Maya festival came to a close. News Five was on La Isla Bonita and brings you the following highlights.

Jacqueline Woods

Costa Maya Festival 2000 came to a close on Saturday with Belize night. The event was well attended by both the young and old who enjoyed the entertainment provided by San Pedro dance groups and Gilharry Seven.

Marisa Salazar, Member, Costa Maya Committee

“Festival 2000, a resounding success. All the nights were well attended, sponsorship this year was on the rise, which was a big help for us. All the groups were fabulous this year, starting from El Salvador. The people enjoyed it, they were here until 3:00 in the morning. Then on Guatemala night, Apolo and the Inguat Dance Group, did both modern and cultural dances, which was a nice change for the festival. Mexico with all the dancers was great and the band was also very good. Today, it was wonderful. I was impressed by the San Pedro Dance Company and I’m sure Barbara’s Dance Group will also be very good.”

However, Belize night did lack a lot of local entertainment that could have highlighted the country’s diverse culture and ethnic groups. The committee did promise that in the future they will try to have far more Caribbean artists and performances.

While it would have been more appropriate to have a Caribbean artist as the guest performer for Belize night, the younger folks did not mind having Puerto Rico’s singing sensation Sergio Blas on stage.