Guide to enjoy the Petronio Alvarez Festival - Spiwak Hotels

From Wednesday, August 16th to Monday, August 21st, one of the most important events in our city will take place: the Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival.

An unmissable celebration in this month of winds and whales, it is the gala of Afro-Colombian culture in our country, and we want to tell you about it today on the Spiwak Hotels blog, so you can take the opportunity to enjoy the most authentic music and exquisite Colombian Pacific cuisine.




Patricio Romano Petronio Álvarez Quintero, better known as Petronio Álvarez“The King of Currulao,” was one of the greatest exponents of Colombian Pacific music.

Born in Buenaventura, the most important supply port of our nation and the capital of Afro-descendant identity in Colombia, this poet, singer-songwriter, and guitarist was a street vendor, notary, water carrier, workshop employee, and even a railroad machinist; all jobs in which his passion for the folklore of the Colombian Pacific never waned and were substantial sources of inspiration for his musical work, with anecdotes immortalized in songs like “Bochinche en el cielo”, “El porteñito”, “Despedida” and his most famous “Mi Buenaventura”.

He is particularly remembered for his humor and improvisation skills, which he cultivated from a young age in funny rhymes he composed to sell his mom Juana Francisca's bread and pastries on the street, like:

“Empanadas de cambray,

for the old ladies here;

whoever doesn’t buy them,

just leave them there.”

Petronio Álvarez, the "King of Currulao"

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Born within the framework of the Law 70 of 1993 and popularly called "El Petronio", it is one of the most well-known festivals in the world celebrating the customs and artistic expressions of African heritage in America.

Among all the festivals in Cali as the epicenter of salsa and popular music, this commemoration of our black communities and their traditions in Latin America is thanks to cultural promoter Germán Patiño Ossa, professor and researcher of the African heritage in the Valle del Cauca, author of the beautiful book "Fogón de negros", a treatise on the influence and prominence of black cooks in the Vallecaucano cuisine.


Female singer-songwriters and musicians delight the audience with original melodies

Among the festivities in Colombia that celebrate the melting pot of cultures that we are, this is one of the fairs in Cali that best defines our ancestry. It features various cultural manifestations of the Colombian Pacific coast that the public can appreciate, both in the competition for the " El Bombo Golpeador" award for the best acoustic musical ensemble (in the categories of Chirimía, Caucano Violin, Marimba, Traditional Singing, and Free Group), and in the very syncretic food of the Pacific, its unique artisanal drinks, and its dances.

Equally important are the crafts of this region, which are made from natural plant fibers like coconut, chocolate vine, banana straw, and tetera, and are crafted in front of all attendees at this event, available for purchase as beautiful souvenirs.

Fashion and hairstyles also take center stage at this festival, serving as a bridge to the worldview, aesthetics, and language of our people in all its corners and aisles.

Specialized products in Afro beauty, the latest trends in hair braiding, and various ventures in clothing, accessories, and other Afro-Colombian inspired items position this fair as one of the most creative and anticipated of the year.

A special mention goes to the Petronito training workshops and the various educational scenarios that are also offered for families attending this celebration. These spaces promote the exchange of knowledge and traditions of the Afro-descendant populations in Colombia.

These activities also seek to recognize the contributions of our Black communities in building the country we are today, rescuing from extinction those elements that are important to understand our history.


The music of the Colombian Pacific takes Cali


Musical groups compete for the Bombo Golpeador

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As usual, this festival takes place in the Ciudadela Petronio Álvarezat the Unidad Deportiva Alberto Galindo in our Santiago de Cali.

In this 27th edition, the United States and Cuba will participate with musical groups to pay tribute to the diversity and richness of the music of our Pacific region.

You can check all the details of the event's schedule here, which maintains its original contest format among musical groups (and which is the most popular show among attendees, as its participants compete for the title of ambassadors of Pacific music).


The Caucano violin is one of the protagonists of this festival

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Authentic matrons in very colorful outfits prepare for the delight of thousands of visitors a wide variety of delicious seafood dishes with aromas of bijao, coconut, rooftop herbs, and other local ingredients that are highly anticipated during these dates.

Cocadas, ceviches, banana bullets, and shrimp empanadas are eagerly awaited (and judged!) by the incredible crowd of people who visit the festival, who do not forgive exquisite preparations typical of this solemnity, such as devilish rice, Chocoano cake, encocado de muchillá, atollado de piaquil, crab tamale, toyo quebrado, donkey pate stew, ray stew, pusandao, and hundreds of other recipes from our grandmothers: born, raised, or connected with ancestors from populations such as Timbiquí, Tumaco, Guapi, or López de Micay, to name just a few along our extensive Pacific coast.


Our Pacific casserole, a tribute to the festival

Very exclusive ingredients from the region such as piangua, chorga, or even lobster find an unmatched demand at this festival in Cali, and desserts for snacking like chontaduro ice cream, borojó ice cream, badea ice cream, and many other sweets delight both young and old after the feast.

Another highlight of this celebration are the traditional beverages made with viche, a sugarcane distillate mixed with various herbs or roots endemic to the region, which are attributed with healing powers and even aphrodisiac properties! With very amusing names that evoke this eroticism so present in the culture of our people such as arrechón, tumbacatre, pipilongo, candelazo, sietepolvos, or others like tomaseca, curao, or mamajuana, of a more spiritual, mundane nature, and even: to help mothers during childbirth or to be applied on the lips of the newborn right at birth.


Pure ancestral wisdom in the elixirs of our matrons

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If all of this has caught your attention and you haven't had the privilege of attending Petronio Álvarez, you have the opportunity to do so this August. Follow the channels of this grand festival on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

Petronio awaits you!

Spiwak Hotels: the ideal accommodation for your vacation in Cali. Conveniently located in the Chipichape Shopping Center, with pools, a restaurant, a gym, entertainment facilities for your family, quick city exit, and only 20 minutes from the airport.

Our flagship restaurant, La Zarzuela, offers you the best seafood casserole you can savor in the north of the city during the Petronio Álvarez Festival in Cali: with Maura de Caldas' recipe!

Come and experience this beautiful celebration and rest in the largest hotel complex in Valle del Cauca.