Escazú is a happening spot for young Josefinos with cash to throw around. Hip-hoppin’ Centro Comercial Trejos Montealegro has several clubs, such as Órale (tel. 506/2228-6436, 5:30 p.m.–1 a.m. Mon.–Tues., 5:30 p.m.–2 a.m. Wed., 5:30 p.m.–4 a.m. Thurs., 5:30 p.m.–6 a.m. Fri.–Sat.), with lively music and an outdoor bar that claims the “best margaritas south of Mexico.” A DJ spins electronic music at MiSala (tel. 506/2289-4389, www.mi-sala.com, Thurs.–Sat.) in a classy retro regency–themed lounge.

Jazz-loving bohemians head to the Jazz Café (tel. 506/2288-4740, www.jazzcafecostarica.com), about 400 meters east of Plaza Itzkazú. The lineup features everyone from hot locals to Cuban superstar Chucho Váldez.

To satisfy the James Bond within, head to Silq (Avenida Central, Calles 4/6, tel. 506/2228-3110, www.mybeaconescazu.com) nightclub and lounge at The Beacon Escazú. Playing a mix of Latino, American, and international music, it also has a cigar lounge. The yang to Silq’s yin is Shooters (Centro Comercial La Rambla, tel. 506/2228-6619), a down-to-earth bar popular in San Miguel. Don’t mistake it for Hooters (Plaza Itzkazú, tel. 506/2289-3498, noon–1 a.m. daily), featuring the bar’s iconic waitresses.

For movies, head to Cine Rock, in Centro Comercial Trejos Montealegre; the two-screen Cine Colonial, in Plaza Colonial Escazú; or the 1,400-seat IMAX Theater (Avenida Escazú, tel. 506/2299-7666, www.novacinemas.cr, $10), which also has two VIP rooms, a 3-D cinema, the chic Nova Sports Bar, and a food court.

On Christmas Day, a hydraulic engine is employed to move singular figures—including a headless priest, the devil spinning a Ferris wheel, the corpse who opens his coffin, and a carousel, all elements of a Nativity celebration—in front of Iglesia San Antonio (in San Antonio de Escazú).

The Día de los Boyeros festival (second Sun. in Mar.) pays homage to boyeros, the men who guide the traditional oxcarts to market. More than 100 boyeros from around the country trim their colorful carts and gather for this celebration, which includes an oxcart parade helped along by a supporting cast of women and children in traditional garb, plus a musical accompaniment of cimarronas, the traditional instrument mandatory for popular feasts.