Festival Imperial
Encyclopedia
Festival Imperial is a major Costa Rican music festival organized by Cerveceria Costa Rica
and their flagship beer: Imperial
. The first festival took place in April 2006 and brought world-known performers such as Sting, Jamiroquai
, Diego Torres
, and The Rasmus
. The second edition of the festival was held on April 2008 and featured: Duran Duran
, Incubus
and Smashing Pumpkins among others.
Both festivals took place at the Autódromo La Guácima, a racetrack
located in Alajuela
, 20 minutes away from San José
.
.
The festival also featured other attractions including a secondary stage with electronic music and fashion shows, food courts and public transportation to the event.
.
For this edition, a musical ensamble of national artists (Ensamble Nacional de Artistas) also performed covers of Costa Rican rock and pop music during the festival days. The ensamble featured the following artists: Marta Fonseca, Pedro Campmany, Pato Barrasa, Mechas (former Kadeho vocalist), and Bernardo Quesada.
In the months before the main event, Cerveceria Costa Rica
also hosted free concerts with national and international bands like: Moderatto
, Kumbia All Starz
and Aleks Syntek
. This plan was called "Ruta Festival" and the idea was to reveal little pieces of information regarding the Festival.
Ruta Festival also featured renowned national bands and artists like: Kurt Dyer, Parque en el Espacio
, The Movement in Codes and Moonlight Dub Experiment.
Cerveceria Costa Rica
Cerveceria Costa Rica is a brewery in San José, Costa Rica, known as the home of Imperial.Florida Ice & Farm Co. started in 1908 in La Florida de Siquirres, Costa Rica. It was started by the Lindo Morales brothers. At first, the company used to make ice for the banana ships that would come to Limon...
and their flagship beer: Imperial
Imperial (beer)
- Imperial :Imperial is a Costa Rican brand of beer, manufactured by the Florida Ice & Farm Company. Imperial was first produced by the Ortega brewery in 1924, and is now produced in the Cerveceria Costa Rica...
. The first festival took place in April 2006 and brought world-known performers such as Sting, Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Diego Torres
Diego Torres
Diego Antonio Caccia Torres , is an Argentine Grammy Award-nominated pop singer and composer.-Biography:Diego Torres was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Argentine singer Lolita Torres...
, and The Rasmus
The Rasmus
The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen...
. The second edition of the festival was held on April 2008 and featured: Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
and Smashing Pumpkins among others.
Both festivals took place at the Autódromo La Guácima, a racetrack
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
located in Alajuela
Alajuela
Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. It is also the capital of the namesake province. Because of its location in the Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays englobed in the conurbation of Great Metropolitan Area...
, 20 minutes away from San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
.
Festival Imperial 2006
The 2006 edition featured 10 performers, both international and national. It was held on April 1st and 2nd. The headliners were Sting and JamiroquaiJamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
.
| Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|
Jamiroquai Jamiroquai Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as... Gandhi Gandhi (Costa Rica) Gandhi is a Costa Rican rock band formed by Luis Montalbert-Smith , Federico Miranda , Abel Guier and Massimo Hernández . Inspired by British groups such as Pink Floyd, Queen, and The Beatles, and Latin American bands Soda Stereo and Caifanes... Diego Torres Diego Torres Diego Antonio Caccia Torres , is an Argentine Grammy Award-nominated pop singer and composer.-Biography:Diego Torres was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Argentine singer Lolita Torres... Uuu Vicentico Vicentico Gabriel Julio Fernández Capello is a musician and composer better known by his stage name Vicentico. Co-founder and vocalist of the band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs along with Flavio Cianciarulo... (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is an Argentine ska band from Buenos Aires. Formed in 1985, they released their first album, Bares y Fondas in 1986... ) Belanova Belanova Belanova are a Mexican synthpop band that formed in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 2000. The group consists of Denisse Guerrero , Edgar Huerta , and Ricardo "Richie" Arreola... |
Sting Malpaís The Rasmus The Rasmus The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen... Miranda! Miranda! Miranda! is an Argentine electro pop band formed in 2001. Band members include Alejandro Sergi , Juliana Gattas , Lolo Fuentes , Bruno de Vincenti , and since 2003, Nicolás Grimaldi... Héctor El Bambino |
The festival also featured other attractions including a secondary stage with electronic music and fashion shows, food courts and public transportation to the event.
Festival Imperial 2008
The 2008 edition was held on April 19th and 20th. The headliners were Smashing Pumpkins and Duran DuranDuran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
.
| Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|
Smashing Pumpkins Incubus Incubus (band) Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;... Cafe Tacvba Café Tacvba Café Tacuba is a band from Naucalpan, Mexico. The group is widely credited with being a pioneering group of the Rock en Español movement, which gained popularity in the early 1990s... Babasonicos Babasónicos Babasónicos is an Argentine rock band, formed in the early 1990s along with others such as Peligrosos Gorriones and Los Brujos. After emerging in the wave of Argentine New Rock bands of the late '80s and early '90s, Babasonicos became one of the banner groups of the "sonic" underground rock... Le*Pop |
Duran Duran Duran Duran Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States... Enrique Iglesias Enrique Iglesias Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa... Seal Seal (musician) Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an... Zoé Zoé Zoé is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican alternative/psychedelic band. They initially formed in Mexico City in 1994, although membership started to stabilize in 1997... Porpartes |
For this edition, a musical ensamble of national artists (Ensamble Nacional de Artistas) also performed covers of Costa Rican rock and pop music during the festival days. The ensamble featured the following artists: Marta Fonseca, Pedro Campmany, Pato Barrasa, Mechas (former Kadeho vocalist), and Bernardo Quesada.
In the months before the main event, Cerveceria Costa Rica
Cerveceria Costa Rica
Cerveceria Costa Rica is a brewery in San José, Costa Rica, known as the home of Imperial.Florida Ice & Farm Co. started in 1908 in La Florida de Siquirres, Costa Rica. It was started by the Lindo Morales brothers. At first, the company used to make ice for the banana ships that would come to Limon...
also hosted free concerts with national and international bands like: Moderatto
Moderatto
Moderatto is a Mexican band active since the late-1990s.-Beginning:Moderatto began playing in the mid nineties in Mexico City, as a parody of the glamorous style of many 1980s bands like Poison and Mötley Crüe. Originally started as a side project for the members' original bands, they eventually...
, Kumbia All Starz
Kumbia All Starz
Kumbia All Starz are a Mexican cumbia music group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Kumbia All Starz are not to be confused with Los Kumbia Kings although some members are originally from Los Kumbia Kings...
and Aleks Syntek
Aleks Syntek
Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña , better known as Aleks Syntek, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and producer. He is married to Karen Coronado, sister of talkshow host Ingrid Coronado.-Biography:...
. This plan was called "Ruta Festival" and the idea was to reveal little pieces of information regarding the Festival.
Ruta Festival also featured renowned national bands and artists like: Kurt Dyer, Parque en el Espacio
Parque en el Espacio
Parque en el Espacio is a popular Costa Rican indie rock band. Formed by Fernán Castro ‘Zurdo’ , Abel Guier , Camilo Poltronieri and Luis Fernando Ruiz ‘Wash’ ....
, The Movement in Codes and Moonlight Dub Experiment.