Every Thursday evening from November to June, the galleries on and around Calle Álvaro Obregón in the centro histórico open their doors simultaneously and serve drinks to visitors. The art walk — known locally as simply 'the Thursday' — runs from around 6pm to 9pm and is the social event of the week in San José. Twenty or more galleries participate, covering everything from fine art photography to Mexican craft-influenced painting to sculpture.
The event draws a mix of permanent expats, snowbirds, gallery collectors, and curious visitors, and the open-gallery format makes it easy to drift between spaces without pressure to buy. The galleries along this street are genuinely worth visiting on their own merits — the quality is significantly higher than the souvenir shops in the market area. Many restaurants in the centro adjust their hours and menus on Thursday evenings to accommodate the art walk crowd.