The Feria de las Flores is Medellín’s biggest week: ten days of free concerts, a vintage-car parade, the national trova-singing final, an orchid show at the botanical garden and, on the final Sunday, the Desfile de Silleteros, when hundreds of flower farmers from Santa Elena carry elaborate flower frames through the city on their backs. It happens every year in early August. This page covers the most recent edition’s program in detail — the schedule repeats closely from year to year — and how to plan for the next one.
Dates
The key events (2026 program)
| Event | When (2026) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Desfile de Silleteros | Sunday 9 Aug, 2–7 pm | The closing parade: 500-plus silleteros with flower frames of up to 70 kg, judged in categories (traditional, emblematic, monumental, commercial). The one event to plan the trip around. |
| Festival Nacional de la Trova | Semifinals 31 Jul–1 Aug; final 6 Aug, Plaza Gardel | Improvised rhyming duels — the paisa art form; funny even with limited Spanish. |
| Florecer orchid show | 4–9 Aug, Jardín Botánico | Orchids, birds and flowers exhibition under the Orquideorama; ticketed, popular. |
| Tablados | 31 Jul–8 Aug | About 20 free neighborhood stages across the comunas and corregimientos — the year’s headline acts included Felipe Peláez, Paola Jara and Grupo Galé. |
| Cabalgata infantil | 8 Aug, 9 am–12:30 pm | The adult horse parade was discontinued after 2013; children now ride hobby horses from Carabobo and Calle 50. |
| Desfile de Autos Clásicos, Feria Equina, food fairs, Moto-fest | Through the week | Check the day-by-day program at the official site once it is published. |
The silleteros and Santa Elena
The silleta was the wooden chair-frame the flower growers of Santa Elena used to carry produce (and, in the 19th century, people) down the mountain to market. The parade started in 1957 with 40 farmers; today the tradition is protected as national cultural heritage and the frames are built over weeks by whole families. You can see them being made: the Santa Elena silletero farms (the Corporación de Silleteros lists the fincas silleteras that receive visitors) run year-round visits with a demonstration, a meal and the story — the best way to understand the parade before you stand in the sun for it. Combine with Parque Arví, which is the same plateau.
Planning around it
- Book accommodation two to three months ahead. Festival week is the city’s peak; El Poblado and Laureles sell out and rates rise.
- The parade route changes; the Alcaldía publishes the official viewing zones the week before. Paid grandstand seats are sold; the free stretches fill from midday. Sun, water, a hat.
- Transport: the metro is the way to move that week; road closures around the parade and the Cabalgata area are extensive.
- If you miss the dates: the silletero farms, the botanical garden’s orchids and the Museo de Antioquia are there all year; the best time to visit guide weighs August against the drier months.
FAQ
When is the Feria de las Flores? The first ten days of August every year; the 2026 edition ran 31 July–9 August with the parade on 9 August.
Is the silleteros parade free? Yes along the public sections; grandstand seats are sold.
Can you see silletas outside the festival? Yes — the silletero farms in Santa Elena receive visitors all year.
Sources: Canal Trece (2026 official program), Alcaldía de Medellín feria page, Corporación de Silleteros and Telemedellín (farm visits); checked August 2026.
