Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga reaffirms his commitment to the silleteros and silleteras. In this way, 535 of them will update their wardrobe, marking a significant change not seen since 2017. This year, the updated attire includes pants and shirts for men, skirts and blouses for women, as well as traditional accessories such as the cotizas, the paruma, the apron, the hat, and the kerchief. The investment was $336 million USD.

Under the slogan “Medellín loves you, celebrating what we are,” the program invites attendees to enjoy five major parades. Among them are the 2nd edition of Avenida Primavera and the Classic and Antique Car Parades, the Chivas and Flores Parades, and the Heroes of the Nation Parade. For its part, the iconic Silleteros Parade celebrates its 68th edition this year and will feature 535 silleteros and silleteras marching, including five children with neurodiversity.

The event will take place on Sunday, August 10, the day that marks the end of the Flower Festival. Each participant will wear a black ribbon in honor of the victims of the winter storm in the metropolitan area and throughout the country. The district administration will set up 44 grandstands with a total capacity of 22,000 people per parade, each with a capacity for 500 attendees. More than 50% of these spaces will be open to the public, ensuring greater inclusion.

In addition, a special space with capacity for 50 people with reduced mobility will once again be available. The remaining grandstands will be marketed by the bureau to flower fair sponsors and tour operators. During the 10 days, musical stages will return with artistic programming in each of the 16 communes and five districts, a way to decentralize this event. These spaces are expected to have an approximate audience of between 10,000 and 40,000 attendees per stage. On the other hand, the inaugural concert will take place on Friday, August 1st, in the Obelisco area, with renowned artists who will be adding to the evening’s musical program, such as Jorge Celedón, Fernando González, and Jessi Uribe, among others.

Also, the Parque Cultural Nocturno (Night Cultural Park) in Plaza Gardel will feature a program of high-level performances. Each night will be filled with Colombian, Afro-Colombian, and bolero music, as well as a very special moment to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Combo de las Estrellas. In addition, the Medellín National Trova Festival is now in its 19th year and will have its semifinals on August 1st and 2nd, in Parque de los Deseos.

The grand finale to select the King or Queen of Trova will be on Friday, August 8th, in Plaza Gardel. Other notable activities include: the Silleteritos Parade and Sancocho Festival in Santa Elena; the Silleteritos Parade in La Floresta; the Fair to the Rhythm of a Bike Parade; the Dog and Pet Walk; Flower Plazas; Fondas de Mi Tierra (My Land Feasts) at Juan Pablo II Airport; and Florecer: Orchids, Nature, and Traditions at the Botanical Garden; among other activities.

Finally, according to information from Colombian Immigration, between 55,000 and 60,000 international passengers are expected to arrive during the 2025 Flower Fair, of which at least 55% will be foreign visitors and non-resident Colombians.
Terminales Medellín estimates that land transportation passenger arrivals will range between 250,000 and 260,000. Furthermore, according to Cotelco, hotel occupancy could be between 77.0% and 81.0%, with an upward trend.

The schedule can be found at https://www.feriadelasfloresmedellin.gov.co/ or on the @cultura.med social media channels.

Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga reaffirms his commitment to the silleteros and silleteras. In this way, 535 of them will update their wardrobe, marking a significant change not seen since 2017. This year, the updated attire includes pants and shirts for men, skirts, and blouses for women, as well as traditional accessories such as the cotizas, the paruma, the apron, the hat, and the kerchief. The investment was $336 million USD.

“Always remember that the Flower Fair is 100% public. The mayor’s activities are 100% public. There are more than 110 activities, and we will have the opportunity to be together again as a city. We will have our silleteros, who are the heart of this festival, who represent us, who represent those values, those customs. All our silleteros and the silleteros will wear new uniforms, all of them will wear new ones,” said Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

Under the slogan “Medellín loves you, celebrating what we are,” the program invites attendees to enjoy five major parades. Among them are the 2nd edition of Avenida Primavera and the Classic and Antique Car Parades, the Chivas and Flores Parades, and the Heroes of the Nation Parade. For its part, the iconic Silleteros Parade celebrates its 68th edition this year and will feature 535 silleteros and silleteras marching, including five children with neurodiversity.

“Every year, we are adding more people with this theme of equality, with these themes of resilience and hope. We have children with this condition in the event, and five of them will be in the parade. This is a great step forward for equality and inclusion,” said Martín Atehortúa, a silletero from Santa Elena, who thanked the district for its willingness to ensure the well-being of the parade participants.

Medellín’s “Feria de las Flores” (Flower Festival) courtesy of Medellín Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The event will take place on Sunday, August 10, the day that marks the end of the Flower Festival. Each participant will wear a black ribbon in honor of the victims of the winter storm in the metropolitan area and throughout the country. The district administration will set up 44 grandstands with a total capacity of 22,000 people per parade, each with a capacity for 500 attendees. More than 50% of these spaces will be open to the public, ensuring greater inclusion.

In addition, a special space with a capacity for 50 people with reduced mobility will once again be available. The remaining grandstands will be marketed by the bureau to flower fair sponsors and tour operators. During the 10 days, musical stages will return with artistic programming in each of the 16 communes and five districts, a way to decentralize this event. These spaces are expected to have an approximate audience of between 10,000 and 40,000 attendees per stage. On the other hand, the inaugural concert will take place on Friday, August 1st, in the Obelisco area, with renowned artists who will be adding to the evening’s musical program, such as Jorge Celedón, Fernando González, and Jessi Uribe, among others.

Also, the Parque Cultural Nocturno (Night Cultural Park) in Plaza Gardel will feature a program of high-level performances. Each night will be filled with Colombian, Afro-Colombian, and bolero music, as well as a very special moment to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Combo de las Estrellas. In addition, the Medellín National Trova Festival is now in its 19th year and will have its semifinals on August 1st and 2nd, in Parque de los Deseos.

The grand finale to select the King or Queen of Trova will be on Friday, August 8th, in Plaza Gardel. Other notable activities include: the Silleteritos Parade and Sancocho Festival in Santa Elena; the Silleteritos Parade in La Floresta; the Fair to the Rhythm of a Bike Parade; the Dog and Pet Walk; Flower Plazas; Fondas de Mi Tierra (My Land Feasts) at Juan Pablo II Airport; and Florecer: Orchids, Nature, and Traditions at the Botanical Garden; among other activities.

“We’re not just at the fair, we’re here all year round. In 2025, the sold-out stands will have the experience of visiting a silletero farm, to raise their profile and allow visitors to learn about them. We’re on the right track, and the silleteros are happy to be able to parade this year,” added Mauricio Londoño, president of the Santa Elena Silleteros Corporation (Cosse).

Finally, according to information from Colombian Immigration, between 55,000 and 60,000 international passengers are expected to arrive during the 2025 Flower Fair, of which at least 55% will be foreign visitors and non-resident Colombians.
Terminales Medellín estimates that land transportation passenger arrivals will range between 250,000 and 260,000. Furthermore, according to Cotelco, hotel occupancy could be between 77.0% and 81.0%, with an upward trend.

Above photo:Medellín’s Féria de las Flores. Photo credit: Loren Moss

Given the health crisis caused from the COVID19 pandemic, in May the postponement of the emblematic and traditional Silleteros Parade was announced, and August arrived in the middle of a quarantine where citizens are practically locked in their homes. However, more surprises were to come on the eve of one more celebration of the historic date beginning a series of official events led by the Mayor of Medellin and his CEO of the EPM company that motivated a tsunami of reactions from all principal sectors and representatives of the city leading to the resignation of the Board of Directors of the company and hours later, the crisis would continue with another entity admired by Antioqueños and no less important than it is Ruta-N where the resignation of its chief executive was requested arguing he had “achieved some technical and no political results,” this in an entity supposedly shielded from the bureaucratic game of the politicians on duty.

August 11, 2020, which should be a day of joy with the Flower Fair, or a quasi-work day within the quarantine that we live in, but this year it will be a day difficult to forget, or a day to remember without wanting to remember it. The trust built over decades between the city’s private, government and academic sector players blew up like an explosive wave that destroys everything around it.

The decisions of Mayor Quintero and his CEO at EPM without having his Board of Directors present on one side; and on the other with a similar behavior in Route N put asunder respect for the institutions and good governance of both entities; valuable heritage of our community. Transparency is a fundamental part of that trust that is built, day by day, decision by decision, letter by letter to make the entities sustainable and the importance they represent for Medellin, the region and for the country, adhering to the established rules of the game that must be met without discussion.

All this goes against one of the principles of the independent political movement, (www.movimientoindependientes.com) led by Mayor Quintero, which has in one of its foundations “The protection and defense of the government is not negotiable” and “The public administration must be exercised with transparency and efficiency “; and none of this was seen this week culminating in high tension and broken trust between the public and private sectors.

From that trust came the internationalization that Medellin had achieved in recent years, placing its name on the map of international investors; of world tourism; and of the aid workers and other subjects of international law interested in the continuous process of resilience that Medellin has been developing and is a benchmark throughout the world.

Anyway, it will be a week to remember where we must learn from mistakes; and, a week to forget what should not have happened and allow us to regain the bonds of trust to guide Medellin and its inhabitants to an integral development that is built day by day. It will be a week for the records.