Colombia National Day

Colombia National Day

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  1. 1810Independence movement began in Bogotá
  2. 1819Battle of Boyacá secured independence
  3. 1886Republican constitution adopted

The story behind the day

Colombia celebrates Independence Day on 20 July, marking the 1810 events in Bogotá that began the break from Spanish rule. The date is remembered through the famous flower vase incident that sparked open political action.

The holiday is tied to civic ceremony, military parades and the wider independence campaign that culminated in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819.

Today Bogotá hosts the main parade, while cities and towns mark the day with flags, concerts, family gatherings and Colombian food. Yellow, blue and red dominate streets and public buildings.

  1. 202620 July 2026 · Monday
  2. 202720 July 2027 · Tuesday
  3. 202820 July 2028 · Thursday
The flag
Colombia flag

The Colombian flag has yellow, blue and red horizontal bands, with yellow taking half the height. The colours are commonly linked with wealth and land, the seas and rivers, and the blood shed for independence.

Colombian Independence Day food is the bandeja paisa — the overwhelming mountain platter — alongside arepas, sancocho soup and the fresh fruit that Colombia grows in extraordinary abundance.

What to eat

Bandeja paisaThe Antioquian mountain platter — beans, rice, minced beef, chicharrón, fried egg, plantain, avocado and arepa on one plate.
ArepaColombian corn cake — griddled, stuffed or topped with cheese and butter, eaten at every meal across the country.
SancochoColombian hearty soup with chicken or beef, yuca, plantain and corn — made in large pots for family Independence Day gatherings.
Ajiaco bogotanoBogotá's famous potato soup with chicken, three types of Andean potato and guasca herbs — a highland classic.
EmpanadasFried corn pastries filled with spiced potatoes and beef — sold at street stalls across Colombia for celebrations.
Brevas con arequipePoached figs with arequipe caramel and fresh cream — one of Colombia's most beloved traditional desserts.

What to drink

AguardienteColombian anise-flavoured sugarcane spirit — the national drink, consumed at parties and celebrations across the country.
TintoSmall black coffee — Colombia's signature drink consumed all day; coffee is the country's most important cultural export.
LuladaBlended lulo fruit drink from Cali — tangy, citrusy and bright green, served over ice.
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Culture on National Day

Colombian culture is a meeting of Indigenous, African and Spanish traditions expressed through cumbia music, Botero art and a country that has transformed itself from conflict to creativity in a generation.

Barranquilla CarnivalThe second largest carnival in the world after Rio — four days of cumbia, mapalé and vallenato music before Ash Wednesday.
Cumbia and vallenatoColombia's great music forms — vallenato (accordion ballads) is UNESCO-listed, cumbia is the root of Caribbean dance music.
Flower FestivalMedellín's Festival de las Flores — silleteros carry massive flower arrangements on their backs in the world's most fragrant parade.
Botero sculpturesFernando Botero's voluminous figures appear in Medellín's sculpture plaza — Colombia's most recognisable visual artist.