Typical Chilean Holidays
- anahiskat
- 21 abr 2025
- 1 Min. de lectura
Actualizado: 25 abr 2025
"Festival del Huaso de Olmué"
The Olmué Huaso Festival is a musical festival organized in the municipality of Olmué (Valparaíso Region, Chile). Since its first edition in 1970, it has been held at the municipality's El Patagual Amphitheater. The event has been broadcast live on television since 1984. It is one of the most important song festivals in the country and the most relevant in the national folklore genre.
The event was conceived by Carlos Guzmán, a journalist for the Valparaíso newspaper El Mercurio and head of tourism for the Municipality of Olmué. He proposed the idea to the then mayor to give greater prominence to the area's folklore, and he enlisted the help of former mayors Hugo Quinteros, Ricardo Ghiorzi, and Washington Altamirano. Regarding radio broadcasting, the role played by Hugo Arellano, former director of Radio Limache, in supporting the event's publicity was highlighted.
This is related to peasant culture, payadores, horse skill tests, free folk songs, among others. It has existed since 1970.
Years later, competitions began to exist, such as the cueca, best tonada, and also highlighting the folkloric genre huaso or centrino. Between 1998 and 2013, the role of the folkloric orchestra was taken over by Germán Concha Pardo, a Chilean musician, teacher, and composer.
The festival winners receive a monetary prize, but aside from that, they also receive a gold guitarpin, an emblematic symbol and considered the most important award in Chilean folklore.
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