A Mexican pop singer, Colombian folk rockers and a Mötley Crew-alike glam band are among the troupes to put a finishing crescendo on the mass hysteria that this week has engulfed Palmares.

Over the weekend, the Fiestas de Palmares, an hour-and-a-half bus ride northwest of San José, will rock on.

One musician to set it off tonight at Barra Imperial is star singer and producer Aleks Syntek of Mérida, Mexico, after the fresh release of the single “Intocable,” from the album “Lección de Vuelo.” After a 15-year career, Syntek's fame grew across the Atlantic via a radio-friendly duet with Spanish singer Ana Torroja entitled “Duele el amor.” His other works include film scores and a number of other radio hits.

Also tonight, at the Party Zone venue, is a show by Los Aterciopelados (The Velvety Ones), one of Colombia's internationally best-loved bands. Still riding the wave after their 2006 CD “Oye,” these velveteers bring a tight rock backbone coated with guitar and quasi Latin Joan Baez vocals by Andrea Echeverri (photographed above). Their Web site, www.aterciopelados.com, offers a taste.

Tomorrow at Barra Imperial sees Moderatto, hailing from near Syntek's neck of the woods but with an entirely different sound and look. More in the glam rock vain, this Mexican band is famous for Spanish covers of hits by groups from Led Zeppelin to Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.

Beware, Imperial can cost up to ¢7,000 ($14) to enter. Although admission comes with five beers – expect a raucous crowd – it's little match for Sunday's outdoor show, which will also feature Moderatto, this time, gratis.

Sunday's free lineup also includes Argentine rockers Enanitos Verdes, set to crank out tunes from their latest “La Historia” and the 2006 recording “Pescado Original.”

More information can be found at the festival's Web site http://fiestaspalmares.com.