PALMARES, COSTA RICA – There are many good reasons to visit Costa Rica, which is why close to two million tourists descent on the Central American country each year. Among the nation’s most popular attractions is the annual Fiestas de Palmares, which honors Saint Cristo of Esquipulas. Music and merriment fill the air at the small seaside town of Palmares during the 10 day festival, which features a bountiful array of food and beverages, a captivating lantern parade and a football tournament.

A highlight of the festival, which draws 150,000 visitors, are the concerts at the Barra Imperial Stage by popular local and regional musicians as well as internationally acclaimed recording artists. The 2017 edition of the festival concert was no exception. Produced by Eventos Especiales de Cerveceria Costa Rica, the musical menu rocked the house with sizzling shows by platinum rap artist Sean Paul as well as appearances by Gente de Zona and Zion y Lennox. Supporting this vibrant series of performances was an equally powerful series of light shows by Ronald Goñi and Jairo Barrantes that featured 16 high output Maverick MK2 Spots from CHAUVET Professional.

Goñi and Barrantes flew their Maverick fixtures on ladder truss structures located immediately to the right and left of center stage as well as on horizontal and vertical overhead truss. Directing beams on and over the outdoor stage from a variety of levels and directions, the Maverick fixtures helped the LD create an immersive visual panorama that reflected the intensity of the music. The two designers also relied on aerial effects and a wide variety of crisp gobo patterns to vary looks on the stage throughout the festival.

“The Mavericks worked very well to help us create some intense looks and change up those looks to keep the audience engaged over all the different performances,” said Goñi “We have been searching for a powerful fixture with the characteristics of a 700-watt spot and we found it in the Maverick. When we came across the Maverick we decided to invest in them because their flexible size was ideal for all types of events, from a bar to a concert with a national act. We were blown away when we did side-by-side comparisons with our other spots in our inventory. Everything from the power, to the color and gobos really stood out to us.”

Goñi also praised the work of the design during the festival. “Our Technical Director and Producer Jairo Barrantes Leon, Lighting Operator Guido Vasques and Lighting Techs  Alejandro Cedeño, Andrey Eduarte and Jose Pablo Aguilera all put their hearts into making the stage look special,” he said. “This festival is a source of pride for Costa Rica. We are pleased that this design did it justice.”