At the beginning of January in Cumbitara, a municipality of Nariño located about 165 kilometers from the departmental capital Pasto, the traditional Black and White Carnival is celebrated (Carnaval de Cumbitara), an emblematic festival of several towns in the department and Cauca and Putumayo.
 
Black Day and White Day are the two main days of the carnival. In Cumbitara, Black Day is celebrated in the traditional way, with a parade with music in which the inhabitants of the municipality paint their faces and bodies with black paint. 

In January, Leiva, like many other towns in the departments of Nariño, Cauca and Putumayo, celebrates the traditional Carnival of Blacks and Whites. The main elements of the carnival whose origin is in Pasto can be found in Leiva, located 185 kilometers from the departmental capital.
 

In the first days of the year, the Multicolor Carnival of the Border (Carnaval Multicolor de La Frontera) is celebrated in Ipiales, a municipality in the south of Nariño on the border between Colombia and Ecuador, the name by which the local version of the Black and White Carnival typical of Nariño is known.
 
The Ipiales Carnival includes all the distinctive elements of these festivities, beginning in the last days of December with the celebration of April Fool's Day and with the burning of the old years on the last day of the year. 

Between May and June, Tumaco hosts the "Saboreando el Pacífico" (Savoring the Pacific) Gastronomic Festival, an event held at the beautiful Morro Beach, located on the island of the same name, north of the urban center.

The festival features over 50 food stalls where attendees can find the most emblematic dishes of Colombian Pacific cuisine, such as "arroz atollado" (a rice dish), crab "empanadas", "bocachico" fish in coconut sauce, and various preparations made with seafood and fish.

In September in the municipality of Olaya Herrera, on the Pacific coast of Nariño, the patron saint festivities are celebrated in honor of the Lord of Mercy (Fiestas Patronales del Señor de La Misericordia), one of the most important events in the town's festive and religious calendar.

At the end of January in Mosquera, a municipality in the Sanquianga region in Nariño, the patron saint festivities are celebrated in honor of San Francisco de Sales, a Savoyard saint from the 16th and 17th centuries whose festival is commemorated on January 24.
 
The festivities begin to be prepared the previous week with the novena which, accompanied by masses and shawms, begins to prepare the devout and festive spirit in Mosquera. The feast of the patron saint is celebrated with a solemn Eucharist and a large procession. 

In the village of El Encano, within the municipality of Pasto, east of the town center and very close to La Cocha Lagoon, the Trout Festival (Festival de La Trucha ) is celebrated every January, following the Black and White Carnival.

Fishing, carried out in the lagoon, is the main attraction of the festival. Traditional and gourmet dishes are prepared, such as grilled trout, steamed, in ceviche, and with garlic sauce, allowing attendees to taste the many ways of cooking this delicious fish.

At the beginning of January in Buesaco, a municipality located just 40 kilometers from Pasto, the Carnival of Blacks, Whites and Reds is celebrated, a local version of the traditional carnival originating from the departmental capital and which is emblematic of several towns in Nariño.
 
The carnival (Carnaval de Los Rojos) is recognized for its Red Day, a day that is added to the traditional Black and White days, in which the inevitable parades of the Castañeda family and floats and troupes take place. 

Between the end of August and the beginning of September, the San Juan de Pasto International Theater Festival (Festival Internacional de Teatro San Juan de Pasto) is held in Pasto, an event with more than 25 years of tradition that aims to promote performing art and offer the community a space for cultural enjoyment and social reflection through theater.
 
During the festival, local, national and international companies present works of various genres and styles, ranging from classic and contemporary theater to experimental and innovative proposals. 

In the first days of January, the traditional Carnival of Blacks and Whites (Carnaval de Negros y Blancos) is celebrated in Pasto, capital of Nariño, one of the most emblematic festivals in the entire country, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.

The origins of the Modern carnival can be found in the popular “negritos parties” that took place as early as the 19th century. In the first decades of the 20th century, these festivals were assimilating new traditions, configuring the carnival that we know today.