On Saturday, July 20th, hundreds of islanders and visitors flocked to the Central Park to enjoy Noche San Pedrana. The traditional event is one of the main Costa Maya Festival activities where pageant contestants in Reina de la Costa Maya, set for Friday, July 26th are introduced. The crowd of spectators enjoyed an evening of international pageantry as each candidate graced the stage in their cultural costumes. There was also food and drinks on sale, and spectators were treated to a wide variety of live entertainment.
Hosts Gerry Badillo and incumbent Reina de La Costa Maya 2018-2019, Mary Cardona of Honduras opened the show at 8PM.
The contestants representing Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama were honored with their respective national anthems and presented with their official sash. The event also saw Mayor Daniel Guerrero sharing some words. He wished the contestants well, congratulated the new committee organizing the International Costa Maya Festival, and encouraged all islanders to support the annual event.
The show proceeded with each contestant, presenting a traditional gift from their home country. Items ranged from coffee to themed porcelains, Maya masks, and native wood carvings. Following an intermission with a performance by the San Pedro Dance Academy, the girls returned on stage to model their cultural attire.
The audience was blown away by the creativity of the beautiful costumes, each representing the characteristics of their country of origin, portraying its history, culture, and their people.
Judges Rachel Jensen, Grisel Carballo and Manuel Ancona were tasked to assign points to each contestant, and those points will be tallied on pageant night, July 26th.
Local singer ‘El Criminal’ entertained the crowd while the beauties retreated backstage. The audience enjoyed his original reggaeton tracks.
Afterward, contestants came back on stage modelling their evening dresses by the designers of their respective countries. This part of the show added a touch of glamour and hinted at the upcoming pageant night.
Noche San Pedrana ended with live performances by the Pandemonium Steel Band, Caribbean Kings, and the island’s number one band, Rompe Raja!
We wish each one of the contestants the best of luck at the pageant!
