Alegre Pub has a DJ and party on the 24th and 25th. On the 26th, the band Los Descarriados will play.
The Clover Restaurant has an Easter Special from March 24-27: Chicken Wings with a bottle of Gallo beer for Q40. Tin Tin is offering Pepian during Semana Santa.
Rolling Stone Music Club. Still the top place for live music in San Pedro la Laguna.
Big protests next will see roadblocks of many main highways and demonstrations in the capital and other cities on August 25-27 (Tuesday through Thursday). Roadblocks begin at 5 AM daily, so the only way to travel to Lake Atitlan and other parts of Guatemala will at night on extremely overcrowded chicken buses, if at all. However, some shuttle companies know the back roads between Antigua and the lake, so check with them.
As of Tuesday, the road from Xela to the Mexican border and San Cristobal de las Casas was blocked. So was the Interamerican Highway in the Momostenango area and other parts of the country.
If flying out, shuttles will likely operate between Antigua and the airport after sundown, so spend the night before your departing flight in the capital to ensure missing the plane.
Armed robberies of “chicken buses” have increased dramatically in recent months throughout Guatemala. They have been robbed on the routes between Guatemala City and Antigua, Lake Atitlan and the both coastal highways. Antigua had no chicken bus service for two days this month after drivers went on strike to protest the lack of police protection. And of course, several chicken buses drive off a cliff or crash into another bus or vehicle every year.
Shuttles are far safer, though do occasionally get robbed. And shuttles don’t cost much more: from San Pedro to the capital, Q50 versus Q30. If you must take a bus, do not travel after dark, especially on the Pacific coast between Mexico and Salvador.
This Friday and Saturday, El Barrio Bar hosts a May Day Fiesta to celebrate International Workers Day with DJs and food and drink specials day and night.
San Pedro and the rest of the lake is filled with travelers from Guatemala as well as from around the world, all here to celebrate Semana Santa. Look for parades, bands and “flower carpets” in the main part of town, such as el centro (up the hill) in San Pedro.
Across the lake, Circus Bar, Cafe Atlantis and Restaurante Casablanca have Semana Santa specials, with live entertainment at Circus Bar and Atlantis.
Lots of parties, too. Tonight there’s live music at Zoola and Alegre Pub. El Barrio Bar’s “Fiesta Latina” kicks off with a band tonight and features live music or a DJ through the rest of the week. Lots of action at the new Paul’s Gaff, too.
In the zona viva, people are partying in the street from noon until late. For something different, grab a liter of draft Gallo beer in front of Johanna’s Mini-Mercado.
If you are here for Easter Sunday, head over to Smokin’ Joes’ BBQ at the pool on the way to the Santiago dock.
Tomorrow marks the first time in history that El Barrio’s weekly Pub Quiz (Wednesdays) falls on New Year’s Eve. There will be lots of Q10 food specials, drink discounts at the party that follows the 7 PM Pub Quiz. Wednesdays is also Pizza Night at El Barrio.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve UK time (6 PM in Guatemala) at Alegre Pub in San Pedro la Laguna, and get a free beer after Big Ben rings in 2015. The dinner special is Steak and Ale Pie, but order in advance to be sure you get one.
Other big New Year’s Eve parties in San Pedro will be at Hostel Fe, El Barrio Bar, Hotel Mikaso and Hostel Zoola. Best idea is to hit them all and stay for midnight Guatemala time at your favorite.
In the past week, Ventana Blue and El Jardin have closed. This leaves few good restaurants on the Seventh Avenue side of town, just Cafe la Puerta and The Blue Parrot Bar and Grill.
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala 