The traditional music of Colombia’s eastern plains or “Los Llanos” will be the focus of the Andean nation’s ninth annual “Colombia al Parque” festival, which kicks off at the end of July.
Every year the festival aims to celebrate particular aspects of Colombian culture. This year the event, which will be held in Bogota’s “Parque de los Novios” from July 31 to August 1, will showcase artists from Los Llanos, such as Jorge Velosa, and Los Carrangueros de Raquira.
Visitors to the festival will also have the opportunity to visit the event’s audovisual zone, where documentary films on Colombian folkloric music will be on display, said event organizer the Bogota Office for Culture, Leisure and Sport.
Los Llanos, the vast expanse of grassy plains stretching from Bogota eastwards to beyond the Venezuelan border, is home to a rich diversity of musical styles.
In 2009, the festival focused on the Pacific region and its traditional local instrument the “marimba.” The 2008 festival honored traditional Colombian musical styles such as cumbia, bambuco and calypso.