Shops and services in Nicaragua still observe Sunday closing: otherwise you'll find most things open from 8am to 4pm, with the exception of banks , which normally close at 3pm. Some museums and sites close for lunch, normally shutting their doors between noon and 2, before reopening again until 4pm. Supermarkets, smaller grocery shops and the small neighbourhood shops called ventas generally stay open until 8pm. Bars and restaurants tend to close around 11pm, except for nightclubs and dance clubs - most of which are in Managua - which stay open until 2am or later.

Christmas and Easter are still the biggest holidays . At Easter especially the whole country packs up and goes to the beach: buses are packed, hotel rooms on the coast are at a premium, and flights to the Corn Islands are fully booked. Christmas and New Year are mainly celebrated in the home, but you'll find most things closed between December 23 and 25 and on January 1. The holiday marking the Revolution , on July 19, is still celebrated ardently by Sandinistas and is usually accompanied by parades and marches. In addition, each town in Nicaragua has its own patron saint and will observe the saint's day with processions and celebrations called Toro Guaco, when you might catch a glimpse of old customs inherited from the Aztecs mixed with mestizo figures like the masked viejitos (old ones - masks of old men and women worn by young and old alike). In all cases Nicaraguans love to dance, and you will probably see folkloric dances in the streets, usually performed by children.