The story
Semana Valdiviana in Valdivia
Semana Valdiviana is a February civic festival in the southern city of Valdivia, built around the confluence of its rivers and culminating in the Noche Valdiviana, an illuminated parade of decorated boats along the Calle-Calle river. The week mixes concerts, artisan fairs, food stalls and sporting events with the boat parade as its centerpiece, drawing large riverside crowds. It reflects Valdivia's civic identity and German-influenced settler history.
Semana Valdiviana turns the southern city of Valdivia into the stage for one of Chile's longest-running civic festivals, a February week built around the city's rivers, its German-influenced settler history and a calendar of concerts, sporting events and public gatherings that culminates in the illuminated boat parade known as the Noche Valdiviana.