Ferias (or fairs) in Colombian are something you’ll find in almost every region and town in Colombian. From La Feria de las Flores in Medellin to Las Ferias de San Pedro in Neiva there’s always a party going on somewhere.
Two of the biggest ferias en Colombia are Las Ferias de Cali in December and Las Ferias de Manizales en January. Both are huge festivals where you can see events such as horse-riding parades through the city (Calbalgatas), bull fights (Corridas de Toros), numerous parades (Desfiles), outdoor tents where you can eat and drink until the wee hours of the morning (Tascas y Carpas) and much, much more.
Cali
La Feria de Cali usually begins on the 25th and goes through until the 30th of December. During the day it’s normal to see events such as the Calbalgata where people from all parts of Cali, Valle de Cauca and the Pacific Coast participate in a horse-riding parade through the streets of Cali. You’ll see everyone from experienced horse-riding cowboys and farmers swigging on aguardiente to beautiful young women pinning on their blackberries and applying makeup as they ride past with thousands of onlookers alongside cheering and blaring salsa tunes.
One of the most popular Parades is the Desfile de Cali Viejo (Old Cali Parade). Thousands of people squeeze in alongside the road, on bridges and in temporary stands watch as salsa dancers, acrobatic acts, marching bands, clowns, people on stilts, and many other groups danced their way along the road, again to blaring music and cheering crowds.
Cali being the Salsa Capital of Colombia (if not the world) means at night the Feria turns in to a non-stop salsa-fest. As the famous Grupo Niche song ‘Oiga, Mire, Vea’ says ‘La rumba empezo en la sexta’ which is the zona rosa in the North-West of Cali where many bars can be found. After people either head to Juanchito or Menga where the discotecas and salsatecas are open until 3 in the morning.
Manizales
Almost as the Feria de Cali finishes the Feria de Manizales starts. If Cali is the Salsa Capital of Colombia, Manizales could well be considered the Coffee Capital of Colombia. The Feria de Manizales contains many of the same aspects as Cali. These include events such as Bull Fights, Calbalgatas, Parades through the street, and a few extras such as downhill mountain biking and BMX. However it also has some more ‘family friendly’ attractions such as Expo Granja, where children can get up close and personal with a lamb, a baby chicken or baby goats.
Possibly the biggest highlight of the Feria de Manizales is El Reinado Internacional de Café (International Queen of Coffee). During the entire Feria the potential Queens tour around Manizales, learning about coffee, visiting local sites, competing in several parades and wishing for World Peace…
At night, most people centre around El Cable, the main zona rosa en Manizales and drink in the many bars and free tents set up by Poker and Club Colombia. Later in then night people generally head to various ‘carpas’ or tents (sponsored by Cristal the local aguardiente) where you pay to enter or to the late night discotecas up in the hills Milagros and Bar C.
Photos and text by our friend and hero, Lachlan Page
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