The biggest theatre festival in the world can only take place in the world capital of theatre, Bogotá! Find out why you shouldn’t miss the chance to be part of the Festival de Teatro de Bogotá: a fantastic cultural celebration of the performing arts.
The Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá (FITB) is one of Bogotá’s biggest cultural accomplishments. The two-week event is a celebration of theatre and performing arts that takes place in different theatres, parks, and plazas in the city. The festival has both a public and private component where people of all ages and financial backgrounds can have access to this fantastic art event.
What is it?
Created back in 1998, this biannual event that was last hosted in 2018, aims to showcase the cultural diversity of the different genres that take the stage around the world. The event thrives to influence the understanding, tolerance, and participation of different cultures by providing an international platform where theatre companies around the world can gather in one place to showcase their talents and understanding of this form of art and self-expression.
As mentioned before, this fantastic event takes place every two years at different places in Bogotá, like the beautiful and classic Teatro Colón, the modern Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, the Plaza de Toros la Santamaria, and many more! The event always features a guest country to promote their theatre companies, and the guest list is composed of numerous other countries like Argentina, the UK, Russia, and Mexico, just to mention a few.
Events
The festival includes a great number of performances that take place in different spots around the city, like street theatre (which is mostly at parks and plazas) and is free, international concerts, classic dances, children’s theatre, storytellers, and more. There is also an inauguration parade that takes place on Carrera Séptima, one of Bogotá’s most important and iconic roads and goes all the way down to the city center. If you get a chance to go, you shouldn’t miss it! It is great fun, streets are filled with performers and people take to the streets to see the fantastic display of color, music, and talent. There is also a “theatre city” hosted at Corferias, Bogotá’s biggest convention center. There, you cannot only go and see national and international performances, but you can also attend academic events happening throughout the whole two-week event, like a circus for kids and even a big bar/disco called “Cabaret Tend” where you can grab a drink or two after seeing a show.
Tickets for private shows can be purchased online on the festival’s site and special discounts always apply to students and the elderly. Ticket prices for private events can go from $6 USD/$20,000 COP up to $151 USD/$500,000 COP or more depending on the show and the seats you choose. You can check outlast year’s programme just to get a sense of what you can expect to see at the 2020 festival.
For two weeks, Bogotá opens its arms and welcomes artists and tourists from all over the country and the world in the most important theatre event on the planet. Due to its cultural relevance and exposure, this event keeps getting more popular every time and is a must for those seeking to do something cool, different, and fun in a city that supports all types of art expressions.
If you happen to be in town for these dates, you shouldn’t let the opportunity to be part of this fantastic celebration pass. I personally try to always go to at least one show every time. Theatre might be a bit pricey but it is a matter of organization and keeping in mind that you will be treating yourself to a great experience. I highly recommend the circus shows because they are great fun and you don’t need to be in the first row to feel the adrenaline so you can always get a more affordable seating option. If you are not in town, there are some other great events you can go to like Colombia al Parque or Bogotá’s International Book Fair.
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