Feria de las Flores 2026 Program: Free Events and Parade Passes

Medellín released the official Feria de las Flores 2026 program on July 16: more than 120 free public events running July 31 through August 9, opening with a concert at the Obelisco and closing with the 69th Desfile de Silleteros, per El Colombiano’s rundown of the official program and the Alcaldía de Medellín’s own announcement. The city also confirmed it will start handing out 14,000 free double passes to several parades on July 20 — four days after this program dropped — so anyone hoping to sit in the grandstands needs to move fast.

Feria de las Flores 2026 program: the dates and the big numbers

This year’s edition runs under the theme “Medellín te quiere y florece para ti,” from Friday, July 31, through Sunday, August 9, per the Alcaldía’s announcement. The city is projecting more than 328,000 visitors overall — 67,000 to 74,000 arriving through airport immigration control and 260,000 to 288,000 through the bus terminals — with hotel occupancy near 75% and an economic impact of about $60.6 million, per El Tiempo’s reporting on the announcement. Free programming spans 21 tablados (open-air music stages) reaching all 16 comunas and the five corregimientos, and includes 76 local entrepreneurs selling at festival venues.

The free events and headline parades

Beyond the daily tablados, four ticketed-grandstand parades anchor the schedule, according to El Colombiano’s official program coverage, plus a fifth free procession honoring the armed forces:

• Desfile de Chivas y Flores — August 1
• Avenida Primavera — August 2
• Desfile de Autos Clásicos y Antiguos — August 7
• Héroes de la Patria (free, no grandstand tickets) — August 8, an annual tribute parade honoring Colombia’s armed forces and public servants, per El Colombiano’s coverage of the parade
• Desfile de Silleteros (69th edition) — August 9

The Silleteros parade — the fair’s signature event, in which growers from Santa Elena carry monumental flower arrangements, or silletas, on their backs — runs a 2.5-kilometer route with more than 530 participants this year, and for the first time includes 10 neurodivergent children and youth from the “Silleteando Ando” program, per El Colombiano. The fair opens just days after another major event wraps: Colombiamoda 2026, Latin America’s biggest fashion week, runs at Plaza Mayor through July 31, so the city moves almost directly from one influx of visitors into the next.

Concerts: the Obelisco opener and the second-weekend lineup

The fair opens with its traditional inaugural concert on July 31 in the Obelisco sector, per Telemedellín’s roundup of this year’s concerts; a full artist lineup for that show had not been published as of July 17, 2026. The second weekend is more concrete: a vallenato concert on August 6 with Jean Carlos Centeno, Alex Manga, Nelson Velásquez, and Daniel Calderón; a Super Concert at the Atanasio Girardot stadium on August 8 with Carin León, Grupo Niche, Silvestre Dangond, Luis Alfonso, and Felipe Peláez; and a romantic concert the same night in Envigado featuring Tormenta and Silva di Lorenzo, all per Telemedellín.

How to get the free parade passes

Starting Monday, July 20, the city will run a phone-line lottery for 14,000 free double passes to select parades, per Pulzo and Publimetro’s coverage of the key dates. Here’s the mechanism as announced so far:

• July 20–23: residents call designated phone lines with their cédula (national ID) number to enter. The specific numbers were set to be announced July 20 and would stay open 24 hours during the window.
• July 24: the drawing takes place and winners are identified.
• After the draw: winning passes must be picked up in person at official points; exact pickup dates were still to be announced through the district’s official channels as of July 17, 2026.

That distribution method — phone-in registration followed by a raffle — mirrors how the city has run this giveaway in past years, but the specific phone numbers and pickup logistics weren’t public at the time this program was released, so confirm the details directly with the Alcaldía de Medellín’s Feria de las Flores page once they’re posted.

Passes obtained through the raffle are free. Separate paid grandstand seating for the Silleteros parade, priced from roughly $399,000 COP per person, is sold through authorized tour operators and travel agencies as part of packaged tours rather than as standalone general admission, per Semana’s 2026 pricing guide to the parade.

Planning around it

If you’re flying in for the festival, book lodging before the fair’s second week — the Silleteros parade on August 9 draws the heaviest crowds, and the city’s own 75% occupancy projection suggests rooms will tighten well before then. For where to eat during the ten days, see our Feria de las Flores 2026 food events guide covering the craft beer festival, the fondas, and Primavera Urbana.

Frequently asked questions

When is Feria de las Flores 2026? The festival runs from Friday, July 31, through Sunday, August 9, 2026, under the theme “Medellín te quiere y florece para ti.”

How do I get free parade passes? Call the designated phone lines with your cédula (national ID) number during the July 20–23 window. The Alcaldía draws winners on July 24 and announces pickup details afterward through its official channels.

When is the Desfile de Silleteros? The 69th Desfile de Silleteros — the fair’s closing event and signature parade — takes place on Sunday, August 9.

Do the free parade passes cost anything? No. The 14,000 double passes distributed through the raffle are free. Grandstand seating at the Silleteros parade is a separate, paid product sold through authorized tour operators as part of packaged tours.

This is a fast-moving story. The pass-distribution mechanics in particular were still being finalized as of July 16–17, 2026; check the Alcaldía’s official feria page for the confirmed phone numbers and pickup schedule before July 20.