Feria Artesenal At Feria de Las Flores

TLDR? Feria Artesenal was just one of the many events at the Feria de las Flores 2022!

Medellin’s Feria de Las Flores is quite possibly the central community event of the year in the City of Eternal Spring. This sentiment echoes through the city’s community of artisans, artists, and craftspeople. They all come to show and vend their wares to the massive crowds that converge upon the city for the late August festival.

I went to go peruse the booths at the Feria Artesenal recently and saw many curious and beautiful pieces. And at the end of the day, ended up taking a few items home at very reasonable prices.

Here’s all the info you might want to know if you plan on heading to the Feria Artesenal at Medellin’s Flower Festival!

Getting To The Feria

In the hustle and bustle of the festival, it’s good to know where you’re headed beforehand, lest you get swept up in a bit of chaos. The Feria Artesenal takes place in the shopping mall Centro Comercial Unicentro Medellin.

It lies at the southern end of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, one of the major universities in Medellin. There are booths inside and outside the event and a guide to help you navigate all the individual stands.

The University and the mall are quite close to the Laureles neighborhood and all of its attractions. This includes La 70, one of the major party areas of the city.

If you happen to be driving, the area can be a bit strange for parking since the mall is at an intersection of some fairly major Medellin thoroughfares.

So overall, it might be beneficial to park somewhere in the domestic section of Laureles. From there, it’s just a quick walk toward where the fair transpires.

Booths and Stalls Galore

The building that the Feria Artesenal is a fairly large edifice with tons of different stores within.

But, once I entered, there was no problem at all finding the Feria. The artisans and craftspeople stacked the shopping mall top to bottom. The variety of wares and pieces on display was quite stunning.

It was quite a treat to go check out all the colorful art pieces amidst all the other incredible sights and sounds of the festival.

All kinds of goods are available to purchase, from personal works of art to organic food and beverage items. Some of the vendors that I saw included:

• Paintings and watercolors
• Textiles, clothes, and rugs
• Organic beauty care products
• Sculptures and wood carvings
• Of course, an abundance of flower arrangements honoring the festival
• Spiritual and religious groups giving out information
• Community organizers
• And much more!

The sheer magnitude of the number of artisans was quite staggering. I felt like the event warranted multiple trips, or at least multiple passes around the fair, to take in all of the sights, sounds, and colors.

Some of my favorite stands were by local Paisa artisans.

They were selling numerous handmade goods that they had meticulously crafted. Their presence spoke to the cultural underpinnings of the Festival de Los Flores.

Some of the artists showcased some very impressive skills in their ability to mimic. They sold copies of works by some of the iconic artists of Colombia and the rest of Latin America.

I saw convincing copies of works by Fernando Botero, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera up for grabs.

The presence of these works made the feria seem like a good opportunity to snag an iconic piece of Latin american art. You could take it back to your house at a very reasonable price.

Antioquian Culture on Display

I found that the Feria Artesenal was a great opportunity to learn a bit about some of the nuances of the Antioquian cultural community. That’s especially true considering the context of the greater Festival de Los Flores that was happening all around me.

Many of the artisans came from the surrounding villages and were showcasing objects and images that in some way told a story of the land that they came from.

I was learning just a little bit more about the land I was visiting and the people that I was inhabiting.

And by passing by each stand and spending a little bit of time considering the things on display, I felt more connected to the event.

The entire Festival de Los Flores is a great opportunity to observe the culture and history of this area in general. If you’re interested in a little bit of background on the festival there’s a full post about that over here.

Creative Communities Coming Together At Festival de Los Flores

One of the fun things to take in at the Feria Artesenal was the sense of camaraderie and community that permeated the event. This was palpable between both the artists who had their wares on display as well as many of the festival-goers who came to observe.

Moreover, it was clear by the way that many of the people conversed that they were familiar with each other.

Additionally, you could tell that there was a genuine feeling of community in the Feria Artesenal. People were congratulating each other and supporting each other’s efforts.

This did this even as they did their best to stand out amongst a crowd of other talented artisans.

The artistic community is small enough that it can foster this sense of closeness and community that allows for big things to happen.

The fair came as a reminder of this, even though Medellin is one of the bigger cities in Colombia.

One Attraction of Many At Festival de Los Flores

Festival de Los Flores is a massive event in Medellin, quite possibly the biggest deal of the year, so there are naturally a ton of things to go and see.

It’s good that most of the attractions are scheduled multiple times throughout the festival. I say this because of the high volume of events along with their general level of high quality.

Most if not all of them are worth trying to make, but I would recommend popping into the Feria Artesenal for sure. That’s especially true if all the excitement at the festival finds you in the mood to do a little shopping for high-quality goods from the heart of Antioquia!

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