Medellín Festivals 2022: Maridaje: Amigos y Sabores

TLDR? Maridaje is the largest local and international gastronomy event held in Medellin.

If you love good food, you’re probably going to Colombia with a list of restaurants you want to visit.

But what if I told you there’s a single place where you can try several of Medellin and Colombia’s best restaurants while enjoying live music and other activities?

In Maridaje: Amigos y Sabores, you can live one of the best experiences for your palate each year, enjoying a gastronomic tour with your friends and loved ones.

Learn a little more about one of the best festivals in Medellin 2022, and schedule your visit!

What Is ‘Maridaje: Amigos Y Sabores’ 

Maridaje is one of Medellin’s most desired festivals. Each year, visitors gather around good food and wine.

Held at the end of each year in Plaza Mayor, this event will take place in 2022 between December 1st and 4th.

It promises better initiatives, more strategic allies, and more followers so that brands can enhance their strategies for the clients.

Local food brands, chefs, restaurants, and other people with initiatives in the gastronomic industry bring out their best secrets to make themselves known.

Visitors may be businessmen, potential clients searching for something new, or food lovers interested in tasting flavors from all over the world!

At Maridaje Fair, you’ll also find workshops and classes.

The Event

Maridaje happens in Plaza Mayor, Medellin’s center for international conventions and exhibitions, meaning it’s a big festival!

The event lasts four days in which you can enjoy a good atmosphere with music, cozy decoration, and many smells and flavors.

Delight yourself with dishes from the best restaurants in the city and some of the country. Besides traditional Colombian food, you can also taste international dishes, wines, liquors, coffee, and cheeses.

If you’re interested in slightly more formal academic spaces, you’ll also find them in Maridaje! There’ll be knowledge pavilions where you can learn about various food topics through conferences, cooking classes by guest chefs, and even tastings.

Maridaje in 2021, How Was It?

This event’s last edition was held in December 2021 and boosted the economic reactivation of the sector after the pandemic.

One of the organizers and partners of this festival was the Gastronomic Tour, which brought with it the names of 190 restaurants represented in more than 1,000 establishments.

Also, spaces were adapted so that more than 1,600 diners could enjoy the cooking shows that later went to the tables with representative dishes of national and international cuisine.

Approximately 26,523 people visited this edition. It had different thematic environments, such as:

• Festival gastronómico: Presenting the city’s 35 best restaurants, such as Lavocaderia, Cerdologia, El Rincon Sevillano, Fire House, and guest restaurants from other cities in Colombia.
• Plaza Maridaje: A pavilion adapted especially for more than 70 entrepreneurs who wanted to make their products known to potential customers.
• Café Region: A space dedicated to a wide range of coffee, cocoa, and dairy products with the participation of almost 100 businesses specializing in these products.

In addition, there was a special presentation by 4 Manos Chefs, which brought different experts into the kitchen to offer a gastronomic experience.

During the event, singers, bands, and artists such as El Combo de las Estrellas, a well-known local orchestra, enlivened the night with their performance.

A highlighted visit was the renowned chef who gave Colombian cuisine a Michelin star: Juan Manuel Barrientos, creator of El Cielo restaurant and one of Latin America’s top 50 chefs.

There he received a Maridaje recognition.

Economic Reactivation Through Maridaje

After the pandemic, Maridaje reopened in 2021 as a space for the economic reactivation of restaurants and other services. In 2020, the festival couldn’t happen due to the sanitary conditions.

The disease and the economic recess that followed it took a toll on the food sector. Maridaje was a significant mark given this situation, and the event promises much more this year, with more favorable conditions.

The number of visits and sales on this occasion exceeded the organizers’ and participants’ expectations. They’re probably coming strong this year again. I wouldn’t miss it!

Entrance Fee and Tickets

The official ticket for this year’s event isn’t yet out. 

Last year’s ticket per day had a considerable value but was well worth it since about a third of the fee was consumable in the organization’s restaurants and bars.

There was also a pass for the event’s four days and the more expensive possibility of reserving a table for up to five people.

Attend ‘Maridaje: Amigos Y Sabores’ in December 

Although this festival’s date’s already confirmed, information about the participants, pavilions, guest artists, and other experiences that will take place is still unknown.

If you’re an inveterate good food lover who enjoys coffee, wines, and local and international offers, save your visit on the calendar and let Maridaje be an experience to repeat!

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