Cali's Fair (Dec. 25 - 30) is the most important cultural event in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. It is a celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties. Called "La Feria de Cali" (The Fair of Cali). The Fair has been celebrated since 1957, from December 25 to December 30, and it promotes cultural, ethnical, and musical diversity in the region. Tourism around The Fair is a main driver of the city's economy during the end of the year. In a few occasions The Fair included Vallenato and Merengue groups from Colombian and surrounding Caribbean countries, and samba schools from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also, the Fair is known as the " (

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

fair) and "Feria de la salsa" (

Salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...

fair). People enjoy many activities like an opening cabalgata (parade of horseback riders), tascas (international food street), salsa concerts, bullfights (which are under a legal dispute), parades, athletic activities/competitions and cultural exhibitions. From an international stand point Cali is also known as the "Capital de la Salsa" given the city's infatuation with that type of Afro-Caribbean music. In early July there is also the Summer Salsa Festival which lasts for one week. It usually includes concerts by the world's great remaining salsa bands as well as dance shows and "melomano" competitions in which salsa connoisseurs try to out do each other by digging deep into the archives of salsa music and related sounds to find and reveal long lost tunes.

References

External links

Official website
Colombian culture Society of Colombia Fairs in Colombia Parades in Colombia {{festival-stub