The Cali Fair starts with 1,500 dancers and runs until December 30

The dancers arrived at the on Monday December 25th Cali Scholarship for the traditional parade Salsodromea route of over 1.5 kilometers that starts the rumba that lasts until December 30.

This is the Colombian city that celebrates Christmas in February. Why do they do that?

The The program for this Tuesday the 26th includes a great salsa festival, an alternative fair for freestyle dancers, the city festival that runs along one of the city’s highways Colombian and tropical and bolero evenings: there is something for everyone. It is complemented by a craft fair, another rural fair and a third tavern fair, a gastronomic experience in Cali.

The final concert, on Saturday, will be tribute to the Guayacán salsa orchestra, founded in 1984 and still active.

Luz Adriana Osorio is known in Cali, southwest of Colombia, as the Electric. Her agile and energetic steps in dancing salsa have made her one of the most recognized characters in the city, as she carries in her veins the tradition of using her body to swing set of every musical note.

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On December 25, he got up very early, prepared his lighting suit and called his partner to be part of the more than 1,500 dancers.

“I am very proud to represent my city and there is no fatigue in the parade when the applause sounds. This is a show we look forward to every year and when the time comes, we do our best because Cali is the world capital of salsa,” Osorio said. EFE.

The traditional parade took the southeastern highway, one of the main roads in Cali, capital of the Valle del Cauca department, which is closed to vehicles to make way for colorful groups, orchestras and dance schools.

For this year 2023, the Cali Fair reached its 66th version and since 2008 the Salsódromo became the main attraction, after replacing the controversial parades.

“Our fair is the most important cultural project in the city because it generates employment and attracts thousands of tourists. Starting today, we’re going to have a lot of fun with it “almost 100 events spread across Cali, most of them free,” said Argemiro Cortés, manager of Corfecali, the company organizing the fair.

The parade featured live performances by orchestras such as Son Mujeres, King Mayor and Guayacán. Not a meter of the audience remained silent because of the infectious rhythm.

David Lerma Hincapié, producer of the Salsódromo, indicated that the choreographies were rehearsed well in advance so that the city would become a reference all over the world.

“This is a moment when magic and joy become one, it is when we show that Cali is a popular culture,” he said.

A safe fair, with 1,200 police officers

Cali’s Minister of Security, Jimmy Dranguet, specified that 1,200 police officers are present at strategic points of the city to take care of the rumberos. In addition, there will be three high-tech drones and a helicopter for aerial monitoring.

“With this extensive commitment We want the city to be safe to actively protect (its) citizens during this season,” Dranguet said EFE.

According to official figures from December 25 to 30 The city hosts nearly 400,000 tourists and generates a profit of over 500,000 million pesos (approximately $126.6 million).

The dancers completed their parade, but they are preparing to continue bringing joy to everyone during events that will spread to all neighborhoods of the so-called ‘Heaven Branch’ before 2024 arrives.