Guide to enjoy the Petronio Alvarez Festival - Spiwak Hotels

One of the most relevant events in our city will take place from Tuesday, August 13th to Thursday, August 18th: the Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival.

On this month of winds and whales, it is the gala of Afro-Colombian culture in our country. And we want to talk to you about it here on our blog, just to tip you today on the most authentic celebration of music and exquisite cuisine of our Colombian Pacific.




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

A native of Buenaventura (our nation's primary harbor 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 locomotive driver. All of these jobs never diminished his passion for Colombian-Pacific folklore. In fact, these were substantial sources of inspiration for his musical work, with anecdotes immortalized in songs like “Bochinche en el cielo”, “El porteñito”, “Despedida” and his better known “Mi Buenaventura”.

He is fondly remembered for his humor. Also for his talent at improvisation, which he nurtured since childhood. As a kid he used to compose funny rhymes to sell his mother's cakes and breads on the street, such as: "Empanadas de Cambray, for the old ladies there they are; to whoever doesn't buy, just leave them at my sight... And keep away your dirty hands!".

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Petronio Álvarez, the "King of Currulao"



Born within the framework of Law 70 of 1993 and popularly called "El Petronio", it is one of the best-known festivals in the world honoring the customs and artistic expressions of Africans in America.

Of all celebrations 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 professor Germán Patiño Ossa, researcher and teacher of African heritage in Valle del Cauca, author of a beautiful book titled "Fogón de negros", a treatise on the prominence and influence of black female cooks in Valle del Cauca's cuisine.

Among the many festivities in Colombia that glorify the melting pot that we are, this is one of the fairs in Cali that best define our ancestry. And in it, various cultural manifestations of the Pacific coast take place, like the competition for the "Bombo Golpeador", an award for the best acoustic musical ensemble in the categories Chirimía, Violin Caucano, Marimba, Traditional Singing, and Free Style band. Or the very syncret food of the Colombian Pacific, its curious drinks, and its dances.

In the same way, crafts of this region occupy an important position, made with natural fibers from plants such as coconut, marlberry, and banana shoots. Even artisans create souvenirs live in front of everyone attending this fest, selling them as nice gifts to take home.

Fashion and hairstyles are also at the center of attention in this festival, which in all of its stands and corridors serve as links to worldview, aesthetics, and jargon of our Black African collectives.

Products specializing in Afro beauty, the latest trends in hair braiding, and emerging entrepreneurship in the field of clothing, accessories and other goods of Afro-Colombian inspiration items position this fair as one of the most creative in our city each year.

A special mention should be made of the Petronito training workshops and different scenarios offered to families coming to this celebration. In this sense, educational talks encourage the exchange of knowledge and traditions of our Afro-descendant populations in Colombia.

These activities also seek to recognize the contributions of our black people to the country that we are, rescuing from extinction those moments that are worth to remember as important elements to understand our history.

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The music of the Colombian Pacific takes Cali



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

You can check all the details of the event's schedule here. This festival retains its original format of music contest being the most popular attraction among attendees, always longing to see, support, and enjoy concerts of their favorite groups in their annual competition for the title of ambassadors of Pacific music.

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The Caucano violin is one of the protagonists of this festival



Authentic matronas (midwives) in colorful costumes prepare a wide variety of delicious seafood dishes. Incredible meals with the scents of bijao, coconut, rooftop herbs and other local ingredients are highly anticipated on these dates to delight thousands of visitors.

Cocadas, ceviches, plantain bullets, shrimp empanadas are highly anticipated (and judged!) by the incredible number of people who visit the festival, who also go after exquisite preparations typical of this solemnity, namely the deviled rice, the Chocoano cake, the encocado de muchillá, atollado de piaquil, the crab tamale, the quebrado de toyo, the pate burro stew, the sudado de raya, the 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 on the shores of our vast Pacific.

Very exclusive ingredients from the region, such as piangua, chorga, or even lobster find in this festival a demand like no other in Cali. And desserts like chontaduro, borojó, badea ice creams, with many other sweets, bring joy to adults and children alike after the feast.

Stars of this celebration are also native drinks made with viche, a sugar cane distillate mixed with endemic herbs or roots, to which healing powers (even aphrodisiacal ones) are attributed.

Beverages evoking the pervasive eroticism in the culture of our people are always present (with amusing names such as the arrechón, tumbacatre, pipilongo, candelazo, sietepolvos, to name just a few).

The same goes for other spirits like the tomaseca, the curao, or the mamajuana: enjoyed by many visitors looking forward to a spiritual connection, a mundane experience, or learn about its alleged properties (to help mothers ease their pain during labor, or wake up a newborn just after birth)

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Pure ancestral wisdom in the elixirs of our matrons


If all this has caught your attention and you have not had the privilege of attending Petronio Álvarez, do not miss the chance to do so this August. All the information regarding this edition is available at Facebook and the festival's website.

Welcome to our Petronio fest!



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Spiwak Hotels: the ideal accommodation for your vacation in Cali. Conveniently located in the Chipichape Shopping Center, with pools, spa, and gym, 20 minutes from the airport.

Our restaurant, La Zarzuela, has the best seafood casserole you can taste 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 indulge yourself in the largest hotel complex in Valle del Cauca.


Our Pacific casserole, a tribute to the festival