In fact, I heard some connections with our own American jazz music, which incorporates many of the same instruments.
At the end of the parade, it is tradition that anyone viewing from the sidelines joins in the recorrido (parade circuit) and dances along to the Chirimía music coming from live bands in the backs of parade trucks. My friends and I (plus some other Colombians from Medellín that we met up with) all happily jumped into the crowd of parade-goers to trail behind the parade route until we reached the bunde (parade after-party), which is held in a different neighborhood of Quibdó each day of the festival. I don't think I've ever been to a party quite as wild as this one! Locals and visitors packed into the rear of the parade like sardines in a can, and when the music ignites the crowd to dancing, I had to make sure to hold on to my friends' shoulders in order to make sure I didn't lose sight of them.
Once we made it to the end location for Saturday's parade, in a neighborhood called Pan de Yuca (yes, this neighborhood is named after Quibdó's traditional yuca bread!), we were greeted with an abundance of street food, plus live music and dance performances. The street food consisted mainly of grilled meats and fried potatoes. The music was a mix of Chirimia and Reggaeton, which is a modern style of Latin pop music. Professional dance groups wearing traditional costumes performed some beautiful dances for the large crowd of spectators.
