History of La Fortuna and Arenal

According to the Costa Rica Tourism Board's mini-guide, the place was called El Burío until 1948, when residents pushed to rename it La Fortuna ("fortune") because of its abundant natural riches. In 1950 its inhabitants voted in a referendum to join San Carlos canton; before that they belonged to San Ramón.

A common myth says the town was named for having been "spared" by the volcano. The name predates the 1968 eruption and refers to the fertility of its land.

At around 7:30 a.m. on 29 July 1968, Arenal Volcano began an explosive eruption that buried the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo; Teletica also includes San Luis. According to the University of Costa Rica, it devastated 15 km² in three days and affected another 230 km².

The death toll varies by source: 78 people dead and missing according to UCR (2018), "more than 80" according to Teletica and about a hundred according to the National University and OVSICORI (2026). OVSICORI considers it the deadliest volcanic disaster in the country. Since 2024 ADIFORT has commemorated it with the free Despertar del Arenal festival.

The 1968 eruption opened an eruptive cycle that lasted decades. According to OVSICORI, magmatic activity stopped in October 2010; the National Seismological Network places the start of the resting phase in January 2011, when the last lava advances were reported. Today Arenal is not erupting, gives off weak steam and remains monitored. For an OVSICORI volcanologist, the main current risk is rockfall.

Work on ICE's Arenal hydroelectric project began in 1974. The plant was inaugurated on 9 December 1979 and its dam joined a natural lake with an artificial reservoir that now covers 87 km². To make it happen, two towns had to be relocated, Arenal and Tronadora.

The Tilarán Municipality recounts that in a referendum on 17 November 1974, the residents of old Arenal were offered seven relocation options; most chose a site 12 km from the original, and by December 1977 ICE had built 330 houses. That is how Nuevo Arenal was born. Most of the old town ended up underwater.

The La Fortuna Integral Development Association (ADIFORT) plays a central role in town. It manages the central park, organises the Christmas lighting and the Despertar del Arenal festival, and funds community projects with the admission fees from La Fortuna Waterfall.

The La Fortuna Community Band started in 2007 as a student band at the local technical high school, has been a community group since 2010 and represented Costa Rica at the London New Year's Day Parade in 2025.