Carnaval de Merida is the Andean city of Merida's carnival season, which overlaps closely with the internationally known Feria del Sol, a bullfighting and cultural fair held the same week and built around a large parade of comparsas, bands, and traditional Andean dances such as La Arana de Chachopo.
Merida's carnival season is unusual among Venezuelan cities because it functions largely as one event with two names.
In Merida, carnival week is inseparable from the Feria del Sol, also called the Carnaval Taurino de America, meaning the city's carnival identity is shaped as much by bullfighting competitions, agricultural and commercial expositions and a Queen of the Sun pageant as by street costuming alone
The signature event is the Desfile de la Feria del Sol, which reportedly involves more than 57 comparsas and bands and thousands of participants as musicians, dancers and performers, making it one of the larger organized carnival-season parades in the Venezuelan Andes
The mountain setting also brings traditional dances rarely seen in coastal carnivals, including La Arana de Chachopo, a folk dance from the southern highland villages
Combines colonial-era carnival street customs
honoring the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception in its origins
with the more recently developed Feria del Sol bullfighting and cultural fair
plus highland folk dances such as La Arana de Chachopo drawn from villages in southern Merida state
Dates TBA · Usually February
Expect street closures, dense pedestrian flow, and slow exits. Comfortable shoes are essential.
Layered clothing is important since Merida sits at Andean altitude with cooler temperatures than coastal Venezuela, especially at night; comfortable closed shoes for standing through long...
Keep valuables light, set a meeting point, and give processions room to move.
Choose lodging by the part of Merida you will actually use, not only by the cheapest room.
Many carnival moments are public, but confirm paid areas or stands before travel.
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Carnaval de Merida is listed for Past edition: 14–16 February 2026. Always re-check the official or local source close to travel.
The festival is listed in Merida, Venezuela. The map coordinate is a planning reference, not a guarantee of a ticket gate or exact venue.
3 days is the listed festival span. Add time for arrival, local transport, queues, and any route changes during the event.
Official source linked. Eventisimus separates source confidence from travel suggestions, so check final details before booking.
Merida, Merida, Venezuela
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