Colombia is a beautiful country blessed by Mother Nature with many things such as emeralds, tropical landscapes, the Andes, and coffee. This makes Colombia one of the most colourful countries and their culture one of the most striking in the world.

Take a look at some of the most known traditional festivities that Colombia has to offer:

Barranquilla Carnival

This is one of the most important folkloric celebrations in the city of Barranquilla, in Colombia. The carnival is filled with wonderful music, dancing, and many street parties. The costumes that are donned are a great spectacle to witness. Women dress as men, men dress as women, and many choose to also dress up as all kinds of animals. The festival runs for 4 days and starts before Ash Wednesday, ending the Tuesday after.

Blacks and whites carnaval

It is celebrated from January 2nd to the 7th of each year in El Pasto, south Colombia. In this celebration, locals paint their faces in black one day and white the next day. This celebration offers a lot of fun for locals and visitors. Their celebrations are famous for giant figures made by local artisans walking through the streets of the city.

This festival was proclaimed by UNESCO as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

Cali´s Festival

The Feria de Cali, also called Feria de la Caña, is a festival held annually in the Valle del Cauca city of Cali that takes place between December 25th and 30th. Its most important events are the Salsodromo and the so-called “super concert”. During its events local, national, and international orchestras that represent all danceable tropical rhythms participate. There are also events such as bullfights, beauty pageants, fashion shows, and concerts by some of the most famous musicians.

Bogota theatre festival

The Ibero-American Theatre Festival (FITB) is a major cultural event that originated in Bogotá, the "World Capital of Theatre"; It is international in nature and takes place every two years in the city of Bogotá, Colombia.

The event has established itself as the largest theatre festival in the world with more than 800 performances by 100 international companies and 170 Colombian companies, bringing together the most important theatre companies in the world, from the five continents in the world.

For seventeen days, Colombians and visitors attend the theatre halls to enjoy the experience. The festival offers the most complete panorama of performing arts.

Flowers festival

This celebration is known as "Feria de las Flores" (Flower Festival) and is celebrated every year in Medellín, in the North of Colombia. This festival is the most emblematic celebration of the city and can be compared to such historical celebrations such as the Rio Carnival in Rio de Janeiro or Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany. It is a week-long celebration that starts on August 1st till August 10th.

Although the focal point of the festival is flowers, many of the festivities in Medellín include a number of diverse events such as concerts, sporting activities, and cultural events.

Conclusion

Colombia has many spectacular traditions full of light, colour, and joy. Among them, the best known are the wonderful carnivals. When visiting Colombia you have to experience some of these traditions in order to get to know the Hispanic culture and understand its traditions. These traditions are known worldwide and even proclaimed by UNESCO as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.