12:56 PM
This year, at the Flower Fair, the stands will return for the traditional silletero paradeBesides of return of the artists’ street and more than 100 public events for everyone’s enjoyment, between August 2 and 11.
This was announced at a press conference by Mayor Federico Gutiérrez, who highlighted the importance of this celebration: “The silleteros and the Flower Fair symbolize joy in the midst of the challenges that the city faced in recent years and that the country is experiencing today. But we are not going to allow discouragement to take over us. We will transform all negative feelings into positive ones. Enjoy your city, its events and may the Flower Fair never wither again”.
The fair, one of the most anticipated festivities of the year, will take place from August 2 to 11 and, according to figures from the Medellín Tourism Intelligence System, is expected to boost tourism in the city with an estimated hotel occupancy of 85% and the arrival of 47,000 visitors, 26,000 foreigners and nearly 22,000 nationals, explained the president.
You can read: “For him to say that he does not know the sector where he is going to work are very derogatory statements”: Gutiérrez about his former Secretary of Culture
One of the new features this year will be ‘Avenida Primavera: streets, rhythms and flowers’, an event that will allow residents and visitors to meet in a parade full of art, culture, music and color. The tour will have floats that will represent the diversity of Medellín.
Besides, The Plaza de las Flores Parques del Río and the Plaza de las Flores Oriente will be installedthis last located on the Miraflore courts, in the eastern center of the city.
The fair’s programming includes approximately 80 private eventsbetween concerts, festivals and fairs, activities that will enhance the tourism sector.
Find out: The Flower Fair gains strength; everything ready for the La Eterna Festival, with Marc Anthony and Ana Gabriel
Besides, A 14.8% increase in compensation for silleteros was announcedreaching a total value of more than $1.9 billion. This year, 530 silleteros will participate in the parade, including 430 adults, 50 children and 50 youth.
Mayor Gutiérrez also confirmed that, To guarantee the organization and safety of the parade, 41 stands will be installed with a total capacity of 21,300 people.
Of this, 24 stands will be available to the general public, two will be for the families of the silleteros and 15 will be reserved for tour operators and sponsors. There will also be two platforms for people with reduced mobility and their companions, with capacity for 200 people.
The vice president of the Silleteros Corporation of Santa Elena, Martín Atehortúa, called on everyone to participate in this celebration: “This is a tradition that does not have time, but rather has eternity, that always remains alive and that is why we invite the people of Antioquia, people from all over the country, and tourists to visit us at our Flower Fair.”.
Free Programming Details
After the announcement, in dialogue with EL COLOMBIANO, the Secretary of Citizen Culture, Santiago Silvaexplained details of the public events, the participation of the silleteros in the fair and where the Plazas de las Flores will be located.
What will the participation of the silleteros be like this year? Tell us about the layout of the stands
“It is very important to leave two clarifications there. The first is, in a conversation that we have been carrying out with the silleteros since the beginning of the yearthey have told us the need and interest in seeing the stands return.
Also read: Antioquia launches its first sensory and sound route for blind people to enjoy birds
The stands serve two purposes. The first is to give order to the parade. They help us make the logistics of the event go much better, that the silleteros are comfortable, calm, even that the spectators themselves are also more organized.
The second thing is that the stands have, first, most of the seats in the stands are given free and open to the citizens of Medellín. There is a part of those stands that are also reserved for the relatives of the silleteros, which is part of our active conversation with them and is a way of also recognizing all their work.
And there is a part that is marketed through operators for tourists who come from outside the country or from other places in the country and that is also marketed in order to collect resources for something that is fundamental for us and that is to continue promoting the Silletero culture. .
That is part of the payment made to the silleteros for their participation in the parade and for everything that happens after the Flower Fair until the next fair, such as the international visits of the silleteros, the samples and presentations of the silleta, of the silletera culture, in Santa Elena, in the city, is financed with those resources.”
By what means will these free ticket deliveries be made?
“We are going to be defining the media in detail in the coming weeks, but the idea is to keep in mind that there will be various ways in which they are delivered, such as raffles, mayoral programs aimed at special populations and that there are different media that will be used. “We will be proposing over the next few weeks so that people can access that ticket office.”
What would be the percentage of that free ticket?
“The percentage of free tickets is 52% of all stands.”
What about free public events? What will they be and where will they be located?
“There will be more than 100 free public events throughout the nine days that the Flower Fair lasts. It is very important that you keep in mind that these events, which are organized by the mayor’s office, are open, free, and are for all citizens.
Furthermore, at the Flower Fair, obviously, during these dates there are private events that are organized and promoted. We comply with including them in the fair programming so that people know what is going to happen, but they already continue along a route of purchasing tickets and so on, depending on how the private parties have decided.
But the agenda of public events is large, it is extensive, and the invitation to all citizens is to join us, to learn about the programming that we are going to be promoting in the coming days and to schedule themselves to be at all the public events and free that we have for the city.”
Where will the Flower Squares be located??
“This is very important. The Flower Squares return, as they had stopped organizing. For us, squares are essential because they are a place where people can, above all, enjoy the Flower Fair as a family.
There is constant, open programming, there are issues aimed, obviously, at the silletera culture, but also musical presentations, gastronomic and artisanal offerings. It is a very nice place to accompany and be with family.
We are going to have five Flower Plazas this year. The first three are in Parque Norte, in Ciudad del Río, and in Juan Pablo II. The other two, which are two new plazas, will be in Parques del Río and in the Miraflores Court.
These five Plazas de Flores are, I insist, open, public, they will have programming at different times during those ten days and the invitation is for people to join us, especially as a family.
Finally, in terms of money, how much will compensation for silleteros increase this year?
“The total payment made to the silleteros for all participation in the fair is 1.9 billion pesos. That is, for the parade. That is a 15% increase, exactly a 14.8% increase, that will be made to each of the seats.
The issue with the saddles is that, depending on the category, the value of the compensation is different, but the general data is that.”
