Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Festival Casals
CLASSICAL MUSIC
(
www.festcasalspr.gobierno.pr
)
For over 50 years, renowned soloists and orchestras have
come from all over the world to join the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in giving night
after night of virtuoso concerts, primarily at El Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A Ferré. Tick-
ets run at around $40, but there are big discounts for students, children and seniors. Dates
vary. Check out the website for details.
Festival de Cine Internacional de San Juan
FILM
(San Juan International Film Festival;
www.festivalcinesanjuan.com
)
Screens new
films over one week in October, with an emphasis on Caribbean cinema. Given the number
of Puerto Ricans/Nuyoricans making good on the big screen - J Lo, Benicio del Toro,
Jimmy Smits (and Raul Julia, who was given a state funeral when he died of cancer in
1994) - this event has been pulling in bigger luminaries each year.
GAY & LESBIAN SAN JUAN
Considered to be the most gay-friendly destination in the Caribbean, San Juan has
long buried its stereotypical macho image and replaced it with a culture that is re-
markable for its tolerance and openness. Santurce is the nexus of the club and cruis-
ing scene, but with so many of the capital's hotels and restaurants now run by gay
professionals, the finer details of one's sexual preference are usually irrelevant.
Condado and Ocean Park have a number of popular guesthouses, and then there's
the delectable
Gran Hotel El Convento
in the heart of the old city.
Most gay clubs have migrated to gritty Santurce, but one of the city's only lesbian
clubs, Cups, closed in early 2011. Check for a new standard-bearer.
Krash
can be
slightly more mixed than other all-male venues.
Most dining spots can be considered gay-friendly, but perennially popular with the
community are
Parrot Club
in SoFo,
Pamela's
inside the Numero Uno guesthouse
and
El Picoteo
in the Gran Hotel El Convento.
The free
Conexión G
(
www.saliendodelcloset.org
)
newspaper and website has
queer club listings and resources in its
Foro Comunitario
section.
An annual
Puerto Rico Queer Filmfest (
www.puertoricoqueerfilmfest.com
)
began in 2009, and takes place for a week in mid-November; Pride events are held in
early June.
