Medellin’s Flower Festival: A Cultural Tradition

When you visit Medellin, you’ll fall in love with the people and the culture.  You may even notice that the locals are passionate about everything that they do, no matter what it is.  Whether they’re cooking their favorite meal, celebrating Christmas, or preparing for one of their annual festivals, there’s always something to look forward to.  Among the many activities to participate in, the annual Flower Festival is the perfect excuse for both locals and tourists to enjoy a beautiful flower-filled event.

Medellin’s Flower Festival

 

 

The Flower Festival, or Feria de las Flores, is one of the most important events held in Medellin, and people from all around the world come to enjoy the colorful event and city.  Not only is it a fun activity, but it also brings awareness to one of Colombia’s main exports: flowers.  When you recognize the impact that flowers have on the economy, then creating an event that celebrates it only makes sense!

This tradition is nothing new for the locals of Medellin.  It all started in 1957, when the festival lasted 5 days and was celebrated by far less people than today.  As time went on, it went from being a paisa tradition, to being celebrated nationwide, to being recognized all over the world.  Now, the festival takes place at the beginning of August and lasts 10 days.

What to Expect

 

 

As the name suggests, you can definitely expect to see a lot of unique flowers.  Not only will you be amazed by the flowers themselves, but also by what they can do with them.  The parade, as well as the entire city, is filled with huge flower arrangements, with each one having a different style and inspiration.  In fact, the festival’s main event is the Desfile de Silleteros, where hundreds of locals carry their flower arrangements on their back.

Aside from flowers taking over the city, this is just an amazing time to be in Medellin.  The reason being is that there’s a huge cultural aspect to it as well.  During this time, people come together and cook their favorite meals, listen to traditional music, and invite foreigners to enjoy their culture.  You can also expect to see other small events within the festival, such as concerts, a parade of classic antique cars, an exposition of orchids, birds, and flowers at the Botanical Gardens, tablados (small bars made within the street), a horseback riding exposition, and much more.

Everyone has a different opinion over when the best time to visit Medellin is, but we have to admit that Medellin’s Flower Festival is one of our favorite times of the year.  Although this city is filled with great energy at any time of the year, there’s something about the Flower Festival that brings everyone together.