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In mid-October, taking advantage of the school recess week, although it has traditionally been celebrated in December, Villavicencio hosts the Llanero Festival (Festival Llanero), an event that pays homage to the rich and diverse culture of the Colombian eastern plains in all its varied expressions.
One of the festival's most renowned events is the "Porsiacaso" Gastronomic Festival, not only for the opportunity it provides to taste typical regional dishes and products, but also because over the years it has attracted well-known Colombian chefs like Leonor Espinosa and Jorge Rausch.
The Llanero Festival includes sports events that go beyond soccer, basketball, and volleyball tournaments, featuring typical eastern plains sports such as bull tailing, a game inherited from the region’s cowboy tradition that involves taking down a bull by its tail from horseback.
Music is another highlight of the festival, with competitions and performances by artists playing "joropo", "pasaje", and other traditional regional genres, using the typical instruments: harp, "cuatro", and maracas.
The Llanero Festival in Villavicencio not only celebrates the customs of the region but also promotes tourism, establishing Villavicencio as a cultural and folkloric hub of the Eastern Plains.
