La Magdalena Fest Returns: A Festival With the Highlights of Colombian Culture

This 2022, La Magdalena Fest, one of the most important cultural festivals in Colombia, will hold its fifth edition on August 13 and 14 -since 2018 it has been held-. The music, theater, photography and exhibitions take place in Honda, a municipality located in the department of Tolima and where a tribute is made to the Magdalena River, generating instances of reflection and entertainment around it and all the inhabitants who live over there.

Under the slogan "5 years of smiles" and with the motto "Dare to look at the river again and live the culture in this heritage town", the organization invites both residents and foreigners to participate in these two days of festival, one that, as previously mentioned, will take place over a weekend. The Magdalena Fest, according to what they detail on their website, expect to attract more than 8,000 people to "promote the heritage, historical and cultural importance of the Río Grande de La Magdalena through culture and the arts."

To go to Honda, the municipality where this festivity takes place, can be reached by road, since it is located in the north of the department of Tolima, and is connected to the main roads of the country, connecting to Bogotá, Cartagena de Indias, Medellín, Cali, Ibagué, the Coffee Region and Santa Marta.

A festival with history

Five years of the festival go a long way, and with a pandemic in between that forced the suspension, rescheduling and readjustment of many events, La Magdalena Fest knew how to overcome it and has been able to carry out its four previous editions. According to what is detailed on its official site, during the festival it is a tradition that many places in the area are activated simultaneously while the event is taking place.

This is how the public market is in charge of the gastronomic program with food samples, conversations and cooking workshops; the House of Culture prepares for the realization of the cinematographic programming; the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary houses music and the arts; and the Chamber of Commerce is in charge of the dialogues that take place in the Rio Grande.

"In 2022 we celebrate the joy that has flowed from the river, converted into a festival. Five years of music, encounters, dialogues, flavors of the region; five years of working as a community in this little piece of the world; five years of surprising ourselves as we travel through the territory heritage; five years before the exuberance filling our eyes and ears with riverside culture; five years of getting to know each other and reflecting on each other", they indicated from the organization of the event in part of their promotional video for this year's edition.

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The activities that will be carried out

The guests of this edition have already been confirmed, highlighting the band Santa Cecilia Ensamble, the artist Tavo Garavato, a workshop with the young Colombian influencer "Marce La Recicladora", who currently has more than 283,000 followers on Instagram and has positioned herself as one of the main defenders of the environment in Colombia, spreading good recycling practices for others to follow. There is also an instance of dialogue with Lucía González, architect and former director of the Casa de la Memoria Museum in Medellín, who is currently a Truth Commissioner for Colombia.

Likewise, the event will feature the Bullerengue Tonada musical group, with chef Leandro Carvajal; with the artistic work "La Magdalena, navigating through the city of bridges" and with workshops such as "Activism with Bacanería"; "Artisanal fishing as intangible cultural heritage, with the Alma Foundation"; "Sound language, music and movement for early childhood"; "Portraits of the River" collage workshop; and "Workshop for making pots with recycled material", among many others.

As you can see, there will be variety in terms of concerts, movies, typical Colombian food, exhibitions with various themes that have some relationship with the Magdalena River and the stories that will be told. An opportunity to meet again, to enjoy and promote cultural spaces and to honor the Magdalena River is what is offered and guaranteed by one of the most important current festivals in Colombia.