Cali Salsa Fair Runs 25 to 30 December 2026

COLOMBIA · CALI SALSA FAIR

Colombia’s biggest salsa party goes ahead this Christmas, four months after an earthquake killed 154 people in Cali.

The Feria de Cali 2026, Colombia’s largest salsa fair, will run from Friday, 25 December, to Wednesday, 30 December, in Cali. The dates come from the city’s official events calendar, published by the Alcaldía de Cali, the mayor’s office.

For US visitors the dates are what matter now, because flights and hotels for Christmas week fill early. The detailed programme, the venues and the prices of paid events have not been published yet.

What the Cali Fair Is

The Feria de Cali is a six-day street festival that closes the year in Cali. The city is known worldwide for its fast, acrobatic salsa style, and 2026 brings the 69th edition.

It is organised by Corfecali, the city’s fair corporation, with the mayor’s office. Corfecali’s manager, Felipe Salcedo, called it “an event that reactivates the city economically” and returns Cali to its salsa roots.

In 2025 it opened on Christmas Day with the Salsódromo, a parade of salsa dancers, El Espectador reported. The route ran along the Autopista Suroriental, an urban highway in the south-east of the city.

The 2025 programme also had the Carnaval del Cali Viejo parade and a five-day meeting of melómanos, or vinyl collectors. A paid Super Concierto at Estadio Pascual Guerrero featured Marc Anthony and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

El Espectador, a Bogotá daily, wrote that the whole 2025 fair was free except the Super Concierto. The 2025 fair closed with 87% hotel occupancy, the Alcaldía said.

A Fair After the August Earthquake

This edition comes after the earthquake of Monday, 10 August, which hit Cali hard. The Alcaldía’s official earthquake page lists 154 dead, 1,657 injured and 24 buildings that came down entirely, as of 8 September.

The city declared a public calamity on 11 August, and more than 12,000 buildings were affected, Publimetro reported a month later. Demolition and rebuilding work was still under way in early October, according to city bulletins.

Mayor Alejandro Eder announced in late August that the fair would go ahead. “Cali needs to recover and also to get moving again,” he said, as reported by Minuto60, a Colombian news site.

The quake may affect which streets, stands and stadiums are used in December. Neither Corfecali nor the Alcaldía has yet said whether the Salsódromo keeps its usual route.

Getting to Cali From the United States

Cali is served by Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, airport code CLO, in neighbouring Palmira. Avianca, Colombia’s largest airline, announced a daily direct route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, starting in July 2026, the Alcaldía said in May.

The city says the Fort Lauderdale–Cali corridor carried more than 233,000 passengers between January 2024 and February 2026. Other travellers connect through Bogotá or through Panama City with Copa Airlines, which sells flights from Cali.

Christmas week is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Book flights and rooms early, and check fares and schedules directly with the airlines.

Entry Rules and Safety for US Visitors

US citizens need no visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days, the State Department says. Passports must be valid for the whole stay, and six months’ validity is recommended.

Colombia requires a free online Check-MIG form from Migración Colombia, the immigration agency, within 72 hours before the flight. Travellers may be refused entry without a return or onward ticket.

The State Department rates Colombia at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”, in an advisory issued on 31 March 2026. Valle del Cauca, the department around Cali, is at Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, but the city itself is excluded.

The department warns visitors not to wave down taxis on the street, and advises a dispatch service or ride app. US citizens have been killed in robberies involving street-hailed taxis, it says.

At crowded parades, carry a copy of your passport, a little cash and one card, and keep phones out of sight. Agree on a meeting point, because mobile networks often slow down in large crowds.

Costs in US Dollars

Colombia uses the peso, written COP, and the rate on 11 October was about COP 3,236 per US dollar, according to open.er-api.com. At that rate, COP 100,000 is about US$31.

No official 2026 prices exist yet for the Super Concierto or any grandstand seats. If 2026 follows 2025, the parades and most stages will be free to watch.

What It Means for You

To see the Feria de Cali 2026, plan to be in Cali by Friday, 25 December, when the fair opens. Hold off on paid tickets until Corfecali names its seller and publishes the programme.

Buy only from the seller Corfecali names, because resold Christmas-week tickets are an easy target for fraud. Stay inside Cali itself, and avoid road trips into rural Valle del Cauca, which is on the Level 4 list.

What Is Not Known

The day-by-day programme for 2026 has not been released. It is not confirmed that the Salsódromo opens the fair on 25 December, though it has done so in recent editions.

The parade route, the Super Concierto line-up and venue, the ticket seller and all prices are also unannounced. The effect of earthquake repairs on venues is not yet clear.

What Comes Next

Corfecali usually presents the full programme in the weeks before Christmas. Wait for the official schedule, venues and seller before you buy anything.

The confirmed dates do not mean every past event returns in the same form. They also do not change the State Department’s Level 4 warning for the rest of Valle del Cauca.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Feria de Cali 2026?

Cali city hall lists the fair from Friday, 25 December, to Wednesday, 30 December 2026. The day-by-day programme has not been published yet.

Is the Feria de Cali free?

In 2025 the whole fair was free except the Super Concierto, El Espectador reported. Prices and the official ticket seller for 2026 have not been announced.

Is Cali safe for US tourists?

The State Department rates Colombia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, and excludes Cali from the Level 4 warning for Valle del Cauca. It advises using ride apps or dispatched taxis rather than street taxis.

Sources: Alcaldía de Cali, Agenda Viva 2026 calendar; Alcaldía de Cali, earthquake information page; Alcaldía de Cali, Avianca Fort Lauderdale route; US State Department, Colombia travel advisory; US State Department, Colombia country information; Minuto60; El Espectador; Publimetro (all accessed 11 October 2026).