The story
Cali Fair in Cali
Held every December 25th to 30th since 1957, when it began as a post-disaster recovery fair after a devastating 1956 explosion, the Cali Fair has grown into Colombia's largest salsa celebration, centred on a citywide salsa marathon, horse-riding parades and street dance parties across the city's final week of the year.
An explosion that devastated much of Cali in 1956 is the unlikely origin of the city's biggest annual celebration: the Cali Fair, launched the following year in 1957 as the Feria de la Caña, organized to help the city recover economically and psychologically after ammunition trucks detonated in the city centre, killing many residents and destroying large sections of infrastructure.