‘A Christmas Carol'
Theater adaptation in Spanish of the classic Dickens story, by Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith of England's TNT theater group, with music by Tom Johnson, 7 p.m., Variedades Theater.

‘Mega Positivo' concert
Featuring José Cañas, Master Key, Humberto Vargas, 7:30 p.m., Yupi Play and Party Center, Paseo de las Flores Mall, Heredia.

‘The Nutcracker'
Featuring 10 Russian ballet dancers from the Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre of Marina Medvetskaya, choreographed by Peggy Willis-Aarnio, Dec. 16-18, 8 p.m., National Theater.

Jazz jam
10 p.m., Jazz Café, San Pedro, info: 2253-8933, www.jazzcostarica.com.

Zurdo & Parque en el Espacio and Naguall Trio in concert
10 p.m., Jazz Café, Escazú, info: 2288-4740, www.jazzcostarica.com.

Almost a year on from the Iron Maiden mega-concert here, tickets have gone on sale for another Costa Rica show date by the veteran U.K. metal band.

Iron Maiden are set to return March 3, this time to play at 25,000-capacity Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium, in Alajuela, northwest of San José, after their concert last February at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium.

Tickets were to go on sale yesterday at 11:58 p.m. via www.specialtickets.net, according to the band's Web site.

The tickets are priced from ¢12,000 (about $22.50) to ¢40,000 ($75.50) plus service charges, the daily La Nación reported.

Last time around, more than 25,000 fans from across the region crammed into the normally 24,000-capacity stadium for Iron Maiden's Costa Rica debut.

Dominican Nelson Sánchez made a surprise win yesterday during the second leg of the Vuelta Ciclista Internacional bike race in Costa Rica.

Sánchez rallied in the last kilometer of the 210km leg, from Orotina, just inland from the central Pacific coast, and Filadelfia, in the northwestern Guanacaste province, clocking in at 4:13:58.

Cuban cyclist Freddy Burgos came second, just eight seconds away from Sánchez. Fellow Cuban Arnold Alcolea came third, trailing the winner by 56 seconds.

The third leg takes place today, racing from La Ponderosa, Guanacaste, to Puntarenas on the central Pacific coast, in a tour of 130km.

The Vuelta, in which five local and five foreign teams – from Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Canada – are competing, is set to finish 14 phases on Dec. 28.

The Spanish International Cooperation Agency announced yesterday a 35,000-euro ($47,900) donation to help Costa Rica prevent the spread of illness in the Caribbean region after heavy flooding hit the area at the end of November and early December.

The donation will go via the Pan-American Health Organization to Costa Rica's Public Health Ministry.

The Spanish agency said the funds will be used to “prevent problems such as dengue, malaria and pests, as well as ensure the quality of drinking water in homes and sanitary infrastructure,” according to a press release.

Spain joins such France, the United States and the Netherlands as donors following the latest flooding, which left one person dead, forced more than 5,000 people out of their homes and caused more than $75,000 in infrastructural damage, primarily in the Caribbean province of Limón.

France donated 50,000 euros (about $68,400) and the United States gave $50,000, and loaned helicopters for evacuation operations. The Dutch, meanwhile, have pledged engineering expertise in flood prevention.