A quincha and Rock Party

The event kicks off on Friday, Feb. 7 at 3:00 p.m. at Pedasí’s Central Park with performances by indie rock bands like Novadicción, Playa, Tvrbo, Randon Brando, Fulmonti, AP, and Los Guayas. The next day the “junta de embarra” (embarra meeting) will take place at the Hacienda Los Gavilanes, starting at 2:00 p.m., with live folk music. Performances by the bands Pepe Bahía and Señor Loop from Panama and White Denim from the United States will close out the night.

The “junta de embarra” is a traditional activity from the interior of Panama in which several families come together to build a member of the community a house of quincha —made of mud, wood, reeds, dry grass, and vines. The quincha house was traditional in the provinces until a few years ago; although some are still standing, they are becoming scarcer.

The idea of Barro Fest is to combine the traditional with the modern by building a quincha house in situ while also having performances by alternative rock bands. One of the most important objectives of the event is to get the “junta de embarra” included in the Unesco List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. To achieve this goal, Barro Fest supports the Ministry of Commerce and Industries in their efforts to document and inventory the activity