San Pacho Festival

Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia – September - October 2019

Every year at the turn of September and October, the capital of the Pacific region of Chocó holds the celebrations in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi (locally named as San Pacho), recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Each day carnival groups, wearing bright colorful costumes and representing each neighborhood, dance throughout the city, supported by brass bands playing live music. The festival culminates in a traditional boat ride on the Atrato River, followed by massive religious processions, which accent the pillars of Afro-Colombian’s identity – the Catholic devotion grown from African roots.