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Forum Universal de las culturas Valparaiso

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:16:40 +0000

International dance, film, theatre, Jazz Big Bands, you name it… they are all coming to Valparaiso this summer. Valparaiso will prove it deserves the title of ´Cultural Capital of Chile´ by hosting the 3rd edition of a huge cultural celebration. End November 2010 The 3rd Universal Cultural Forum is coming to Valpo for 6 weeks. Come and celebrate international culture the Valparaiso way…

links: Forum de Las Culturas Valparaiso, Forum Internacional Foundacion

A Chilean Ramada

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:55:33 +0000

As Chileans are proud citizens , their national independent day does not take just one day but several days of partying. Around the 18th of September friends and family have spontaneous asados (barbecues) or join a more ‘organized’ popular event called Ramada or Fonda Guachaca. Squares are taken in by chairs, stands, barbecues and dance floors. Huasos (the traditional Chilean cowboys) show off their skills as do the drunks and the Cueca is being danced by young and old.

In the Ex-carcel, an old prison building used as a cultural meeting place nowadays, an oficial fonda guachaca is taken place on the 18th and 19th of September. Entrance fee is CLP5.000 and the fonda kicks off at 21h00.

(image: www.guachacas.cl)

Trolley guided city tour

admin — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:16:50 +0000

Trolleys are pure charm and history. On Fridays and Saturdays at 11am-3pm-6:30pm you can enjoy a 2 hour guided tour on a trolley. Departure is at the trolley terminal on Avenida Argentina. All trolleys are in their original state, come from all over the world and are national monuments. Adults pay CLP8.000, children CLP4.000.

Carnavales Culturales 2008

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:53:44 +0000

Carnavales Culturales 2008 are about to kick off. This year Valparaiso will receive a Mexican delegation from Veracruz. North and South Latin American culture will fuse during this anual celebration of performance and arts. Here is a small selection of highlights.

- Los Voladores de Papantal: (the flying people of Papantal) Veracruz ritual related to fertility.

- Titae y los Músicos del Cinzano (Titae and the Cinzano musicians): the only thing missing would be the wine, chorrillana and cigarettes

- Banda Conmoción: Band of 19 musicians who play gipsy music, such as music by Emir Kusturica

- Chico Trujillo: electronic cumbia with content, too good to be true

- “Pies pa’ Volar”: Dance inspired by the life of Frida Kahlo with music by Lila Down. Beautiful

- La Flor de Orquesta: Fifties music and the good thing is they are located on a smaller stage, with less people on Plaza Sotomayor.

- Active people can participate in the patrimonial cycling tour on Saturday and Sunday.

Download the complete program here. Click here for our customized highlights google map (easy to print).

December cultural and party highlights

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:45:07 +0000

Christmas and New Year’s Eve traditionally make December a festive month. Valparaiso tops it of with not one but three worthy cultural happenings.

The Festival of Container Theater kicked off on the 6th of December and goes on until the 13th. All performances are held in containers that are spread around the main plazas of Valparaiso. Tickets are available at the main container on Plaza Sotomayor.

Rockodromo starts on December 18. New and not so new bands will be playing at four stages in the city, but you can also enjoy plenty of smaller open-air concerts, talks, disc sales and lots more. The festival closes with a rock rally on Muelle Barón on Saturday the 20th.

From December 26th, Carnavales Culturales transforms Valpo in a stage with concerts, performances and lots ado. This year the special guest is the city of Veracruz in Mexico. The city will be alive and sparkling, just follow your ears and go with the flow.

And like every year, Valparaiso will send 2008 off with a bang: 21 kilometers of synchronized fireworks for everyone to enjoy at their heart’s content. These are the largest fireworks in Latin America and they start at 12pm. Prepare for a full city, make friends with a rooftop view and chill the champagne bottle. Once the fireworks are over… well, you’ll see.

Valparaiso Rock 2 – free download

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:38:43 +0000

It all started as a student’s project and now the 2nd edition of Valparaiso Rock is ready to download. Valparaiso, Chile is known as Chile’s cultural capital and it is also stil seen as Chile’s ‘bohemian capital’. This combination generates an interesting rock scene and Valparaiso Rock! catches this onda (wave) in all its diversity. The album is free to download on the Valparaiso Rock website : just download, unzip and play the mp3. Valparaiso Rock builds up gradualy and goes to a repertoire of ska punk, folk, stone rock, etc. Some songs are sofisticated and renewing others tend to be a little cliché but they all are Porteño, Chilean (underground) culture and rock! And free to download.

How to be a gringo in Chile

admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:16:07 +0000

After spending more than a year and a half in Chile, we have a list of tips on how to “stay a gringo”…

Fear body contact and people standing close to you.
Avoid colectivos (shared taxis) because it’s a sweaty and too personal experience.
Get very upset if things don’t work out as planned.
Tell it as it is. Doesn’t matter if ‘they like it or not’.
Insist on having a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ as an answer.
If you’re an independent woman, insist on paying the bill.
Wear shorts when it’s freezing cold.
Initiate state of the art political discusions

Learn how to act as a local and how to behave in Chile