The Cali Mayor’s Office launched the 52nd Feria de Cali Wednesday with the release of the famous festival’s 2009 program of events.
The festival, which runs every year from December 25 to 30, showcases the best of the steamy south Colombia city with parades, live music, bull fighting and of course lots and lots of salsa.
The Feria de Cali is Colombia’s answer to Brazil’s carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
And just as Rio has famous samba schools, Cali has its salsa schools, along with Colombia’s strongest and liveliest tradition of dancing the tropical steps.
The Feria is the salsa schools’ biggest event of the year, when salseros showcase the dances they have prepared for the carnival throughout the year at the Cali Salsodromo.
Internationally renowned salsa stars also perform during the Feria de Cali, making it the worlds epicenter of salsa even more than it already is on an average day.
The feria is the highlight of the Cali year and draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to Colombia’s third largest city.
The festival offers a mix of free and ticketed entry to events. View the full program for the Feria de Cali here.