7 Tips to Help You Make the Most of Medellin’s Feria de Flores

Feria de las Flores is fast approaching! This is the most important, colorful, and lively festival in Medellín, and 2022 marks a big occasion. 

That’s because the city hasn’t celebrated Feria de las Flores since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

If you’re planning to visit Medellin this summer, you’ve absolutely got to check it out. You’ve also got to know a few pro tips for getting the most out of it!

To help you out, I’ve put together a quick list of tips to make your time at the festival even more fun. 

Why Feria de Las Flores Is Celebrated

Before we start talking tips, let’s talk about why this festival even exists. 

Medellín is recognized for being the capital of flowers since it’s a region rich in the cultivation and export of hundreds of species of these types of plants. 

That’s why the paisas (people from Medellin) celebrate their flower-farming heritage each year. Of course, the festival has now become an ongoing event full of reggaeton concerts and parties. 

But, there are still traditional cultural festivities, such as the silleteros parade. This parade features farmers from Santa Elena, a town near Medellín, coming to the city with boxes of wood full of beautiful and fresh flowers, called silletas. 

They display them on their backs as they walk through the city streets. If you haven’t seen this before, it’s definitely a sight to behold! 

During 2020 and 2021, this festival was held remotely and with restricted entry to many of the events, thanks to Covid-19. However, this year the festival will be in full swing. 

It’s scheduled for the week of August 8 to 15 and is definitely something you don’t want to miss.

7 Tips for Enjoying the Festival to the Max 

If you’ve made the decision to check out this year’s Feria de las Flores, there are a couple of things you should know.

Here are a few pro tips to make your time at the festival more enjoyable and easier to navigate.

1. Keep the Schedule Handy

Although it hasn’t been published yet, the city creates a program for the event each year. The program includes all the parades, concerts, artistic happenings, and flagship events of the festival.

I recommend reading it before you go, so that you have a prior idea of what to expect. That way, you can make sure to plan travel times from one place to the other.

2. Check Out the Food

Another thing you should be keeping an eye on is the Plaza de las Flores. The plaza is rumored to be placed in Ciudad del Rio and Parque Norte this year. 

The plaza is a place that’s dedicated to the flavors of Antioquia. There, you’ll find stalls with vendors selling traditional snacks as well as cool handicrafts.

A couple of the must-try paisa foods at the festival include empanadas, arepas, and chorizos. There are tons of other things to check out though, so don’t just take my word for it.

3. Visit the Botanical Gardens

The botanical gardens are one of the free places to check out during the festival (and any time, actually). 

The botanical gardens are a place where you can check out the flora and fauna of Antioquia. Plus, during Feria de Flores, there are artists and food stalls set up around the area. 

That makes it a pretty cool place to swing by.

4. Attend the National Trova Festival

Trovas are traditional songs from the region, known as poetic compositions. They’re accompanied by simple chords on a guitar and are distinguished by rhyming words in real-time about any topic. 

The best trovadores of Medellin participate in the Flower Festival, conducting face-offs and singing about free themes given to them by a jury. The winner is awarded according to their creativity.  

Keep in mind that there are several set dates for these presentations. As soon as we have more details, we’ll let you know.

It’s also good to note that the trovadores only speak Spanish. Perhaps you should invest in some Spanish language classes to gear you up for this Flower Festival event!

5. Know What Events to Check Out at Night

Although there are plenty of paid concerts with famous artists scheduled for specific shows, there are also free events such as the Parque Cultural Nocturno. 

This is a park where a different theme is programmed each night. You’ll get to enjoy a wide variety of music and activities without having to pay a penny!

Just be aware that this event can get pretty crowded. Make sure to use your street smarts and be prepared to wait in lines. 

6. Make Sure You Know Which Events Are Paid and Which Are Free

La Feria de las Flores has been privatized over time. This has meant that many events and parades that were previously free now require payment to enter and participate.

Make sure to check out the events you want to attend and make a budget. You might want to pay for a space on the steps to watch the Silleteros Parade. Or, perhaps you want to attend a show of your interest that requires payment.

Whatever it is that you’re planning, just make sure to know what the costs are going to be upfront. Otherwise, you might be in for a nasty surprise when you arrive. 

7. Go to the Free Cultural Spaces

August is a festive season in Medellin, which means that groups of artists will be scattered throughout the city all month long showing off their talents and entertaining tourists.

If you want to check out some of these street performers’ shows, head out to iconic places like 

Plaza de Botero, Parque Lleras, Pueblito Paisa or Paseo Bolivar. 

You really never know what you’ll see!

Other Events That May Interest You

In addition to the events I’ve already mentioned, there are tons of other cool things to do, too. For instance, you could take a tour on a Chiva or you could join in one of the bike tours. 

Whatever it is you enjoy, you can really get out and experience the culture of Antioquia in this festival. 

Live Your Best Experience at the Feria de Las Flores

Schedule your trip to Medellin, the activities you want to do and the events you want to attend.

Remember as much as possible to spend at least a week so you can fully enjoy La Feria, and spend some wonderful days in the City of Eternal Spring!

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