National Mejorana Festival

The National Mejorana Festival is the most important event for preserving and celebrating traditional Panamanian music and folklore, held every September in the small town of Guararé in Los Santos province. Founded in 1949, the festival is named after the mejorana, a small five-string guitar that is the emblematic instrument of Panamanian peasant music. Over five days, the country's best decimistas (singers of décimas, an improvised poetic form) compete in singing challenges where lyrical skill and mental quickness are paramount. The festival includes tamborito competitions — the national dance with its characteristic drums — saloma, cumbia, and other traditional dances. Women parade in formal polleras while men wear the traditional montuno outfit. It is the most authentic experience for living Panama's folkloric soul.