The Feria de las Flores (Flower Festival) in Medellin, Colombia may have been started in 1957 to recognize and encourage the area’s agricultural pursuits, but times change and today one of the highlights of the annual Flower Festival is the Desfile de Autos Clasicos y Antiguos Classic Car Parade. It’s no Concours d’Elegance, but you will see beloved makes and models from Ford to Porsche to Datsun, you’ll hear horns that play La Cucaracha (which we totally want for our truck) and you’ll see some pretty good Elvis impersonators too.

Elvis cavorts with Marilyn and some escapees from Laugh In during the Flower Festival Classic Car Parade in Medellin, Colombia.

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade

The first stages of the Flower Festival Classic Car Parade are dominated by vehicles plastered in logos and ads for the sponsoring companies and military vehicles. Yawn. After about an hour of that, vehicles that could generously be called classic and a handful that would qualify as truly antique started rolling by.

Vehicles came from all over Colombia (mostly from Bogotá) and all over South America. Costumed participants generally fell into four categories which often had nothing to do with the birth date of the vehicle they were in: The ’60s/’70s, Great Gatsby, or Elvis.

Here are some of our favorite scenes from the Flower Festival Classic Car Parade in Medellin.

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the 1950s roadsters

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the 1960s

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the mini cars

 Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the 1950s

 Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the Chevy Bel Airs

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the true antiques

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the 1970s

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the original SUVs

Flower Festival Classic Car Parade: Best of the trucks

It was neither classic nor a car but the “Pope” on a scooter was a big hit in the Flower Festival Classic Car Parade in Medellin.

Flower Festival Medellin travel tips

Every year the Flower Festival in Medellin brings in thousands of tourists and hotels fill up fast. During last year’s Flower Festival we managed to get a room at 61 Prado Guesthouse and we highly recommend it to any traveler who likes spotlessly clean and comfortable rooms at reasonable rates (US$35 for a private double room with bathroom) in a homey environment just a few blocks from Medellin’s famous metro system.
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Want to see a 7,000 horse power parade? Check out our post, photos, and video from the Flower Festival Cabalgata Horse Parade.

Here’s more about travel in Colombia