The Le-Lo-Lai Festival is a wonderful cultural program of traditional music and dance, sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

The Festival consists of 3 different performances, showcasing different dances and music of the island and its heritage. These shows are free of cost and are amazingly high quality. They are offered at different places around San Juan, and are well worth the trip to see a performance.

Puerto Rico is a blend of the Spanish, indigenous Indian, and African peoples who have made this island their home. The different music and dance of these peoples have come together to make a style that is unique to this island.

I have been to the show in San Cristobal a number of times. The musicians play island instruments like the cuatro, guiro, bomba, and guitar. The singers do a wonderful job, and the dancers are colorful and really seem to enjoy doing the show. The narrator gives a short history (in both English and Spanish) of Puerto Rico, and the dancers and musicians showcase this through the music and dances of the island. The music echos off the walls of the fort, really making for wonderful sound. And the bomba drummers are outstanding – you won’t soon forget the power behind the music.

We recently (end of 2008) re-visited the Le Lo Lai festival and found that they’ve updated the show to keep it fresh and entertaining.

The shows are free of charge, but see the show at San Cristobal, you need to pay the $3 fort admission fee. If you’re going to the show at San Cristobal, go early to enjoy the fort and then get a good seat for the show. There is also a show on Sunday at 8pm at Plaza Darsenas.

Please refer to our Event Calendar for times and locations of the shows.

LeLoLai shows are about 1 hour each.

The shows are performed outside, so watch the weather report! Also, bring chairs for comfortable viewing at the shows in the plazas and beach areas.

You can call the Puerto Rico Tourism Company at (787) 721-2400, or email them at lelolai@prtourism.com for more information.