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Every August, the municipality of El Banco in the south of Magdalena, surrounded by the Zapatosa and Chilloa swamps, hosts the National Cumbia Festival (Festival Nacional de La Cumbia), a celebration with forty years of tradition named in honor of maestro José Barros, a famous composer from El Banco, which pays tribute to this rhythm typical of the Colombian Caribbean.
The competitions are one of the central events of the festival: the Unpublished Song, in which composers present their works, thus expanding the national repertoire, and the Cumbia Dancing Couples, in which competitors from various regions show their ability to interpret cumbia, wearing the typical costumes: the women with their wide skirts and the men with turned hats and linen shirts.
The couples move to the rhythm of drums, bagpipes and millo flutes, characteristic instruments of this genre.
In addition to the competitions, the festival includes series of conferences, forums and discussions on the history, tradition and perspectives of cumbia as well as concerts, parades, cultural exhibitions and gastronomic and craft fairs, highlighting the cultural wealth of the region.
The National Cumbia Festival (Festival Nacional de La Cumbia) not only celebrates the musical legacy of cumbia, but is also a symbol of cultural identity and pride for the inhabitants of El Banco and the entire Colombian Caribbean.
