Feria de las Flores Desfile de Silleteros in Medellin, Colombia

Feria de las Flores: A Flower Festival in Medellin.

A festival of flowers, Feria de las Flores, in Medellin, Colombia.

Feria de las Flores ‐ a Colombian festival of flowers — is a big deal in Medellin, Colombia. Every August the city throws a huge celebration devoted to the beautiful blossoms. For an entire week Paisas, other Colombians, and tourists alike flock to the city to enjoy decorative figures made from flowers, flower exhibitions, parades devoted to flowers, and concerts (not made of flowers but still).

I arrived in town towards the end of the week, so I didn’t get to enjoy everything the flower festival in Medellin had to offer, but I did manage to take part in a few of the festivities…

Feria de las Flores - Medellinovation in Medellin, Colombia

 Feria de las Flores - Medellinovation in Medellin, Colombia

 

What to see at Feria de las Flores, a flower festival in Medellin, Colombia:

 

Gigantes de Flores

Throughout the city, displays of gigantes — huge sculptures made from flowers — were set up in parks and squares. Alas, I only made it to see one of them (some were far from the city center), but I totally think I found the perfect design for my future home…

 

Concerts

Almost every night there were concerts in Parque Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Park). Latin bands from throughout South America and the world played. I went two nights in a row and, each night, it rained. Hard. But no one seemed to care. Everyone put up umbrellas or bought $1 ponchos and continued to watch and dance salsa in the aisles.


 

Jardín Botánico

For the flower festival, Jardín Botánico, the botanical garden of Medellín, featured creative displays of flowers. Some were traditional, showcasing perfect specimens of roses or orchids. Some were more creative, elaborate setups showing mannequins or tablescapes.

 

Desfile de Silleteros

The ultimate, and one of the biggest, events for Feria de las Flores in Medellin is the Desfile de Silleteros. I watched the parade with new friends from my hostel and met a bunch of Colombians who poured shots of aguardiente down my throat and chanted “aburrido” to the viewers on the other side. This big parade winds through the city and features a grand display of silleteros: elaborate, heavy, flower-filled art pieces carried on the back to signify the colonial tradition of bearing loads on one’s back when other transportation options weren’t available.

Outside of the silleteros the parade was kind of a light version of a pride parade… Just sayin.

 

p.s. This was the official Feria de las Flores song: La Feria en Mi Casa. And I’m not sure I will ever get it out of my head…

Hi, I'm Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the kitten. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job, bought a one-way ticket to Europe, and traveled for three years. Now I'm back in Chicago, decorating my apartment in all the teal, petting my cats, and planning my next adventure.

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1 Comment
  • CMM
    September 4, 2013at8:56 am

    Wonderful photos. I’ve been following your blog the last few months and enjoy it very much. Keep up the good work.

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