Every year in August, for the past 30 years, Colombia sets aside a day of solidarity. It is a day of remembrance for all those affected by the civil strife that still afflicts parts of the country. There are big fund raisers to collect money to send to the victims. As part of this day, Bogota puts on a big parade which is peppered with folkloric dancing, bands and floats of companies sponsoring the parade or full of some of the biggest Colombian TV and film stars. Even Juan Valdez, who turned 50 today (the brand, not the man), made an appearance. While not a celebration per se, the parade is a lively event with a vibe that is distinctly Colombian: colorful, flamboyant, loud and definitely fun. Here are a few of my pics from the parade on Sunday.
Big and colorful parade floats featuring a Vallenato band, music from around Cartagena. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Flame on! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Yes, those are people walking underneath the guys on stilts. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Are we seeing a future Miss Colombia here? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
You gotta love the costumes. It's not everyday that a decadent gown can get upstaged by a bull-themed ballerina. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Traditional folkloric dancing from around Colombia was on display. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Check out these big, bright and beautiful headdresses. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
More folkloric dancing . Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Big floats with over-the-top recognizable characters. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
These two guys had a great view to the parade. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
More pageantry on display. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
I don't know who this singer is. But the crowd went wild when he showed up. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Some of the top TV stars on Caracol TV. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Another star of the Caracol TV telenovela. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Some of the top TV stars of RCN including Javier Jappin (right) of the telenovela Chepe Fortuna. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
Sex sells! Gratuitous eye candy hawking products. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
In case you didn't get the point. Sex sells! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
And they were dancin´in the streets. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
View of the parade from my apartment balcony. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com
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Tags: Colombia travel
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeff Jung, Jeff Jung. Jeff Jung said: Start your week with my photo essay of yesterday's parade in Bogota. Click for the gratuitous eye candy, stay for… http://fb.me/I3Zk6fj6 [...]
So jealous. I was traveling to Cali yesterday and totally missed it!
Oh man! Makes me sad I am in the States and missing out on some good music. I did listen to Carlos Vives yesterday for hours while I cooked and cleaned. One of those guys looks like my cousin
[...] for two free airline tickets, making my upcoming flights to Colombia (oh, you heard me, here I come Bogota and Cartagena! Finally, on the road again) F-R-E-E! The real beauty is that there is no catch and [...]