Poncho Festival: Catamarca celebrates its identity with culture, tourism, and handicrafts

Catamarca kicked off a new edition of the National and International Poncho Festival, the most important cultural event in northwestern Argentina that combines tradition, identity, and tourism with a proposal of enormous scale.

In this edition,  the fairgrounds once again welcomed thousands of visitors, with free admission, to enjoy a comprehensive ten-day experience: top-level shows, an internationally renowned craft fair, gastronomic offerings, and simultaneous cultural gatherings.

Jalil: "Catamarca has beautiful places that must be visited"

"El Poncho" —as it is called in the region— not only represents one of the deepest traditions of Catamarca, but also a key platform to showcase the province's natural, artistic, and productive wealth.  "People must come to western Catamarca. Catamarca is the Poncho Festival, the Virgin of the Valley, the Fiambalá Hot Springs, the Campo de Piedra Pómez, Antofagasta, Galán, Laguna Blanca... We have beautiful places", emphasized Governor Raúl Jalil.

Jalil also highlighted public policies aimed at promoting economic development: "We're working with the Federal Investment Council to set up a nougat factory. The idea is to keep growing and investing. I'm optimistic."

Fairgrounds with activities for all tastes

The Poncho Festival is not only experienced on the main stage. The event expands across a vast fairground with multiple parallel offerings.

Soledad Soria, provincial director of Promotion and Tourism, explained: "We have shows with national and provincial artists, traveling fairs, a beer garden with ten craft breweries, and a stage with DJs from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m.  We also have a federal patio with offerings from different provinces."

Artisans from around the world and top-level curation

One of the greatest sources of pride for the Festival is the craft fair, with  more than 700 artisans from different parts of the country and abroad. Each piece on display was selected by a team of curators who evaluated quality, originality, and technique.

"There's a whole jury that curates each of the craft pieces. You can see the detail and the level of everything that's offered", Soria detailed.

The federal patio: living culture for more than 30,000 daily visitors

One of the most popular spaces is the federal patio, which last year received up to 30,000 people per day. In this edition, with improvements in organization and a more robust program, organizers expect to surpass that figure.

There, different provinces showcase their cultural, gastronomic, and artistic identity in a space for gathering and celebration.

Free admission, open access, and an experience for everyone

Admission to the fairgrounds is completely free and open, allowing people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy this festival without restrictions.

The experience is not limited to the shows: it is a comprehensive cultural gathering, where ancestral knowledge, new gastronomic proposals, design, music, and hospitality intersect.

Catamarca: a destination that grows without losing its roots

With a powerful cultural offering, unique landscapes, and a commitment to local development, Catamarca consolidates its place as an unmissable tourist destination.

From the mountains to its valleys, every corner offers something different. At the Poncho Festival, all these elements come together in a celebration that is already a heritage for all Argentinians.