Festival de Rumba Dec 3-5 Puerta de Tierra, PR

[mulense]

I have been following in YOUTUBE this rumba festival that occurs in Puerta de Tierra, San Juan Puerto Rico.
In 2010 It occurs December 3-5 and flying there is straightforward.

To go to this festival, Most of the costs will come from airplane flights, car, hotels and food. At this point there are no prepaid classes or anything else up front. The way we (4 rumberos) are approaching this festival is to experience the city and streets, watch some rumba, play in the street and so on.
There are current no plans for classes but the way it is going we will probably have one or two classes depending on who is interested. I can put you in touch with some of the performers in case you want to set up a class.

Sample links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFPeyl31 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huYRA8tl ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB6BzLU0RiQ

Follow the rest of the links on the right, or search on

Festival Rumba Puerta de Tierra
Rumba Calle San Agustin

Using the 2009 Festival de Rumba format as an example:

Starts on a Friday and ends on Sunday (December 3-5) - that is 3 days of rumba with around 9 bands playing.

So a sample schedule to get to a festival like this:

Wednesday Dec 1 - Fly out of your city
Thursday - Visit areas of San Juan or possibly to go Loiza (30 miles away)
Friday - More San Juan visits, Festival begins (do not know what time the festival starts yet)
Saturday – More Festival
Sunday - More Festival, it closes Sunday
Monday - Fly back home

You always add a day in front or back of this itinerary, assuming the one above:

Plane Flight - Assume $350 from West Coast but obviously it will vary according to your city
Hotels - 4 nights x 60 each double occupancy - Assume $240 total each (or you may stay with friends)
Car Rental and gas- If we want to visit the suburbs and so on - $70 a day, we can split this cost
Food - $50 a day each - Assume 50 x 4 days= $200
Festival - I don't know yet, it is a street scene so it may be free or cost very little.

Altogether it will be around $1000

THERE IS NO PUBLISHED FLYER YET FOR 2010, as soon as it is published, it will be posted on this site.

Here is the 2009 flyer: http://www.puertadetierra.info/noticias ... 3festv.htm
Here is the 2008 flyer: http://www.puertadetierra.info/noticias ... 2festv.htm

If enough guys are interested, we can arrange for a Bomba group to play in Loiza which is 30 miles from San Juan.

Since we are still more than 6 months away, this information is still being developed, but the festival organizers told me that for this year the festival is dedicated to Giovanni Hidalgo. Generally the same bands play if the performers are available (see sample flyers):

We have not selected a hotel yet, since we are only a few guys we don’t have a package deal, please realize that there is NO TOUR ORGANIZER here, it is up to you to decide and come to the festival on your own, we can certainly join up with you once you get there. We have many ideas on other places to visit while we are in San Juan.

This information posted is for sharing purposes only, this group has no financial interest in making money on your participation. You will pay directly for your travel, we will be there for the rumba activities, that is our goal.

Please post your questions in this thread so that everyone can follow. Please indicate if you are interested, so that eventually we can set up an email distribution list.

[mulense]

Wanted to include a few videos that show the scene in Loiza, PR.

We are planning to go there before the festival that starts December 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32YseCa-Bd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv2ILVB6cD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J09tYXHH0uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wJrQWB1-jQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAEYmMe ... re=related

[mulense]

Talked with the Festival de Rumba organizers, they said the festival starts on Friday December 3 at 6 pm. There will be 3 bands playing that night with 3 bands on Saturday and 3 band on Sunday. Too early to say when they will appear, the organizers will know more by September.

Here is a satellite map of
http://www.puertadetierra.info/pt_sat.asp

If you navigate through the web site you will find a tropical paradise surrounded by ocean, cobblestone streets, and in December the sounds of rumba… I am starting to sound like a travel agent, but having been in Cuba under the same musical circumstances, I am eager to experience Puerto Rico as well.

Some of the typical bands that will be there are Rumba Bajura, Rumba Raza, Los Majaderos, Viento de Agua, Bombaza, Sabor Vainilla and Yuba Ire. The final composition needs to be decided since some of the players may not be able to attend the festival or left the band.

In the meantime, four of us are planning to arrive at San Juan on Wednesday December 1 and start touring the sights, on Thursday December 2 we are planning to go to Loiza to watch some Bomba groups.

We are flying back home on Monday December 6 in the morning.

[niallgregory]

Talked with the Festival de Rumba organizers, they said the festival starts on Friday December 3 at 6 pm. There will be 3 bands playing that night with 3 bands on Saturday and 3 band on Sunday. Too early to say when they will appear, the organizers will know more by September.

Here is a satellite map of
http://www.puertadetierra.info/pt_sat.asp

If you navigate through the web site you will find a tropical paradise surrounded by ocean, cobblestone streets, and in December the sounds of rumba… I am starting to sound like a travel agent, but having been in Cuba under the same musical circumstances, I am eager to experience Puerto Rico as well.

Some of the typical bands that will be there are Rumba Bajura, Rumba Raza, Los Majaderos, Viento de Agua, Bombaza, Sabor Vainilla and Yuba Ire. The final composition needs to be decided since some of the players may not be able to attend the festival or left the band.

In the meantime, four of us are planning to arrive at San Juan on Wednesday December 1 and start touring the sights, on Thursday December 2 we are planning to go to Loiza to watch some Bomba groups.

Sounds like a great trip lads ! would love to join you !!

We are flying back home on Monday December 6 in the morning.

[mulense]

"Sounds like a great trip lads ! would love to join you !!"

OK, you are on...

So I will post this email fcampos2020@hotmail.com

Any of you interested in going send a message there, I will add you to the distribution list.

Will not know more details from the organizers until late September, as you know in the caribbean these affairs are handled informally with musicians dropping in and out minute by minute, and that is part of the delight of these situations: in one corner you may find Paoli Mejias rumbeando with whoever, and in another part of the street you may find Giovanni flailing away, and it may be you in that grupo that assembled itself out of thin air !

So I will not have any much more during the summer, if I hear of anything new I will post.