VIDEO: Colombia's Answer To Carnaval: Feria de Cali

Everyone knows Brazil’s Carnaval, but have you heard of Colombia’s Feria de Cali? Replace Samba with Salsa, but keep the non-stop party aspect, and you get the idea. Check out these videos for more!

From the 25th to the 30th of December for the last 53 years, everything comes to a halt in Cali, Colombia for one enormous party, the Feria de Cali. This year is no different, and things are  sizzling all over the city, which turns into one giant party venue featuring everything from salsa competitions to antique car parades. Other activities taking place during the Feria de Cali include major concerts featuring world-class Latin and salsa acts like El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Ruben Blades, and Los Van Van; handicrafts markets; and equestrian parades, known as Cabalgatas, which feature 3,000 equestrians and their horses sauntering past over 1 million spectators which line highways closed for the event.

But the big draw here is El Salsodromo —  Colombia’s answer to neighboring Brazil’s Sambodromo — billed as the biggest salsa show on Earth. This is where Colombia’s best salsa schools, or performing groups (this year there are 25), gyrate, shake, and spin in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the Salsodromo route. Even if you’re not in Colombia this year for the fun, there’s no reason you can’t participate! Salsa schools will be dancing to the most popular songs, and you can view music videos of the top songs and vote here for your favorite. (My favorite is Son de Cali’s “Vos Me Debes,” or You Owe Me, a humorous musical send-up about a guy who owes a neighbor drinking money and fakes his funeral so he can get out of paying). Take a listen, vote, and be part of the fiesta!

For information on all the Feria de Cali events and other services like hotels and restaurants, click here...