Carnival of Bogotá

The city of Bogotá celebrates its own carnival annually on the 5th and 6th of August for the city's anniversary of its hispanic foundation. Most of the cultural events take place at the Simón Bolívar Metropilitan Park. The 2005 edition of the carnival, in occasion of the anniversary number 467th , has been called the celebration of the diversity and has a motto ': "celebrate life and express yourself as you wish". The festividades also include pre-carnival celebrations that will be made during the month of July. One of the main objectives of the carnival is the one to promote and encourage the cultural and musical diversity of Colombia.

Phases of the Carnival

The phases of the Carnival reflect the Carnival's objectives. Each phase is celebrated on different dates.

Carnival of Diversity in August 2005
Children's Carnival in October 2005
Carnival of Creative Sharing, 2005
Carnival of Reconciliation, 2007

Activities

Many activities take place during the celebrations of the carnival

Comparsas: parades of folkloric groups (krewes),dances and music that represent the cultural manifestations of the different regions and cultures of the country.
Verbenas: celebrations on the suburbs' streets with dances, music, games and gastronomy of the different regions of the country.
Pre-carnival: days of motivation and preparation for the carnival including cultural events like street theater fairs, puppets, story telling, etc.
Carnival - Carnival of Diversity, August 6th. A metropolitan parade on the main streets of the city takes place, with the participation of 30 comparsas, each of them conformed by at least 50 memebers.
Children's Carnival, October 30th, for second consecutive year there will be a final parade where the best comparsas of the Children's Carnival will parade on the main streets of the city.

History

The celebration of the carnival in Bogotá dates back to year 1916 when the first queen of Bogotá's student carnival, Elvira Zea, was crowned in a congeniality contest. After winning the contest she used her real name as Queen's name, in that occasion she took the name Elvira I. The queen was the person in charge of opening the celebrations. In the following years the carnival grew in number of comparsas and beauty queens. In the 30's carnival the national government and the mayorship of Bogotá suspended the carnival due to disorders caused by the alcohol. An attempt to revive the carnival in the year 1960 failed for reasons of alcohol abuse and violence.

The Carnival was resurrected by Bogotá's Mayor in a Government Resolution on April 14th, 2005. The objective of the new Carnival was to promote a collective atmosphere of fellowiship and to celebrate life, creative expression, and enjoyment. It further seeks to generate a feeling of belonging to the city, to enforce processes of reconciliation and fair play, and the inclusion and recognition of all districts and cultures of the Capital City of Colombia.