The Festival de las Máscaras de Hatillo falls on December 28, Día de los Santos Inocentes, and in 2026 that date is a Monday. By long tradition the north-coast town fills its streets with masked figures in ruffled costumes, and the day ends with a parade into the town plaza. For registered patients and qualifying visitors, adults 21+ in nearly every case, it is one of the more vivid days of the holiday season and one of the clearest cases of a place where the medical cannabis law says no.

What the festival is

The Día de los Santos Inocentes recalls the biblical story of Herod's order against the children of Bethlehem. Hatillo turned it into something closer to a costumed street celebration. The tradition is traced to the Canary Islands, and the festival has been celebrated formally since 1970.

The 2024 edition gives a sense of scale: news coverage counted about 8,000 participants in 210 groups, with the main float parade starting at 2 p.m. and winding through town to the public plaza, where costumes and themes were judged. Plan for crowds and slow traffic.

The 2026 schedule comes from the Municipio de Hatillo closer to the date; the festival is also listed on the events hub.

The rule, plainly

Ley 42-2017, Puerto Rico's medical cannabis law, bans consumption at conventions, exhibitions and public or private events, and it confines medical use to homes and private places. A street festival is both an event and a public place. There is no reading of the statute under which the Festival de las Máscaras is anything other than off-limits.

What it means for your December 28:

• No use at the festival, its parade route or the plaza. Event ban and public-place ban, both at once.
• No smoking, ever. Ley 42-2017 bans smoking cannabis for patients and visitors alike. Vaporizing is the inhaled method the law allows, and only where use is permitted.
• No sharing. Reglamento 9038 prohibits transferring cannabis to anyone. In a crowd of family and friends, that includes the cousin who is also a patient. Each registered patient buys for themselves.
• Not in the car. Driving under the influence of medical cannabis is illegal, and the regulation extends that to boats and aircraft. Festival traffic on the north coast is slow, packed and full of pedestrians.
• Not at the dispensary either. Licensed premises do not allow use on site.

Who can buy

Registered Puerto Rico patients. The Junta Reglamentadora del Cannabis Medicinal, part of the Departamento de Salud, issues patient identification after a recommendation from an authorized physician. Adult applicants must be 21 or older or legally emancipated.

Patients from other US states. Ley 42-2017 counts residents of other states with a home-state medical cannabis card as patients, and the JRCM recognizes them when they meet Reglamento 9038. Dispensaries usually ask for a photo card and generally do not sell flower on an out-of-state card.

Everyone else cannot buy legally. A temporary Puerto Rico registration exists through certifying clinics, but its length, fee and turnaround are not spelled out in published regulation, so confirm all three with the clinic before paying. The JRCM's official page, with phone and email contacts, is at salud.pr.gov/CMS/364.

Licensed dispensaries in and near Hatillo

Hatillo has several licensed dispensaries of its own, many along PR-2 in Barrio Carrizales. The Department of Health's October 2026 directory includes licensees that trade as Cura Verde, Four Point Wellness and Leaf Lab, the last in Hatillo Town Center. Arecibo, next door, has more; see the Arecibo town hub and the full dispensary directory.

Holiday-week hours on the island are unpredictable, and December 28 is a festival day in Hatillo, with crowds around the town center. A phone call before the drive is the reliable move, and so is buying on a different day from the parade.

The rest of the season

December 28 sits inside the long Puerto Rican holiday season, which runs well past New Year's into January. Every public celebration in that stretch, from plaza concerts to parrandas in the street, falls under the same two lines of the statute: no use in public, no use at events. The edible rule does not change for the holidays either: start low, go slow, and keep a first serving at 10 mg or less.

Reglamento 9038 also prohibits taking medical cannabis from Puerto Rico to any other jurisdiction, so anything bought for a holiday trip stays on the island.

FAQ

When is the Festival de las Máscaras de Hatillo 2026?

The festival is held on December 28, Día de los Santos Inocentes, which falls on a Monday in 2026. The Municipio de Hatillo publishes the schedule closer to the date.

What is the Hatillo mask festival?

A costumed celebration of the Día de los Santos Inocentes with roots traced to the Canary Islands, formally celebrated since 1970, ending with a float parade to the town plaza.

Can medical cannabis patients consume at the Hatillo festival?

No. Ley 42-2017 bans consumption at public or private events and in public places, and the festival is both.

Can I share my medical cannabis with a friend who is also a patient?

No. Reglamento 9038 prohibits transferring cannabis to any other person. Each patient buys their own supply.

Are there dispensaries in Hatillo, Puerto Rico?

Yes. The Department of Health's October 2026 directory lists several in Hatillo, many along PR-2 in Barrio Carrizales.