San Pelayo

Porro is a brass band music from the Sinu valley - clarinets, trumpets, trombones, bombardino, bass drum and cymbals, playing in two main forms, palitiao and tapao, distinguished by whether the bass drum is struck open or muted. The bands, called bandas pelayeras after this town, grew out of a mixing of European military band instrumentation with African rhythmic structures on the Caribbean coast. The Festival Nacional del Porro runs here over several days around the end of June, and its defining feature is the alborada: bands play through the entire night into the dawn without stopping, moving through the streets, and people stay up with them. Outside the festival the town is small and quiet.

What you actually see

• Brass bandas pelayeras - named after this town.
• Two forms of porro - distinguished by how the bass drum is struck.
• The alborada - bands playing right through the night to dawn.
• A festival at the end of June - over several days.

When to go

Late June to early July for the festival. A full day or overnight.

Honest expectations

Outside the festival there is very little here. Festival accommodation is scarce and the town fills. It is loud, all night, by design. Heat and humidity are heavy.

Nearby

Monteria is south; Lorica is north.