Feria de Manizales: Coffee, Bullfights & Andean Tradition
The Feria de Manizales — held in January — is one of Latin America's most important cultural festivals; the combination of bullfighting (corrida), beauty queen coronation, and Colombian Andean music makes it Caldas's defining cultural event
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Bullfighting season in January
Feria de Manizales is centered on bullfighting season - Plaza de Toros Manizales hosts internationally renowned matadors from Spain, Mexico and Colombia for 6 consecutive days; The corrida tradition in Manizales is one of the most serious in South America
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Desfile de Silleteros
The Silletero Flower Festival within the Feria - where locals carry elaborate flower arrangements (silletas) on their backs - is one of Manizales' most beautiful traditions; the floral artistry on display reflects the coffee region's proximity to the cut flower industry
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Coffee Queen Coronation
The coronation of the Reina del Café – the coffee queen – is the social highlight of the Feria; the beauty pageant, the elaborate gowns and the coronation ceremony at the Palacio de los Deportes are a distinctly Caldas blend of folklore and glamor
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Ruana Poncho Culture
The Ruanan — the traditional Colombian Andean poncho, woven in dark brown, gray or striped wool — is the cultural garment of Caldas and Manizales; worn at the corrida, at rural events and at the feria, the ruana is the visible marker of Calda's cultural identity
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Trova Antioqueña
The trovan — impromptu verse competition between two singers (trovadores) who must rhyme in pairs — is an Antioquia tradition deeply embedded in the coffee region; the trova competitions at the Feria de Manizales draw the best trovados in Colombia
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Coffee region music
Eje Cafetero has its own musical traditions - bambuco (the national music of Colombia), pasillo and torbellino are the music of the Andean interior; Feria de Manizales features traditional ensemble performances along with vallenato and cumbia from the coast