---
title: "Panama’s Afro-Antillean heritage takes center stage in food and culture festival"
date: 2026-05-18
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/05/18/afro-antillean-heritage-panama-festival/
categories:
  - "Business"
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Afro-Antillean"
  - "Colón"
  - "local entrepreneurs"
  - "Mi Pueblito Afroantillano"
  - "Panama culture"
  - "traditional food"
---

# Panama’s Afro-Antillean heritage takes center stage in food and culture festival

## What Happened

Panama marked its Afro-Antillean identity with a weekend celebration that brought together food, music, fashion and traditional expressions at Mi Pueblito Afroantillano, on the slopes of Cerro Ancón in Panama City. The Afro Panamá Food festival drew more than 80 entrepreneurs from across the country and attracted hundreds of visitors who filled the venue throughout the day.

The event was part of a broader May calendar of activities tied to Afro-Antillean heritage, including parades, cultural showcases and educational workshops. In a country where Caribbean migration helped shape the labor force, music, cuisine and customs, the festival offered a public space to recognize that legacy through everyday traditions as well as entrepreneurship.

## Food, Family and Caribbean Roots

Visitors moved through the Afro-Antillean pathway tasting some of the best-known dishes linked to Panama’s Caribbean heritage. Among the offerings were torrejitas de bacalao, stuffed fish, mondongo a la culona, one pot, and saus, a dish made with marinated pig’s feet served with vinegar, onion, cucumber and lime.

One of the entrepreneurs featured was Víctor Vergara, originally from Colón, who brought his Colon-style saus to the festival. His story reflects a common pattern in Panama’s informal and small business economy: family recipes becoming sustainable ventures through repetition, trial and adaptation. Vergara said the dish has strong demand and described it as a national favorite, noting that he can sell as many as 300 portions in a single weekend and also receives orders for weddings, birthdays, school events and quinceañeras.

For many attendees, the event was as much about identity as consumption. Families arrived in Afro-inspired clothing, browsed artisan stalls and stayed through the heat of the morning to participate in a celebration that connected food with memory and belonging.

## New Business Models Around Traditional Favorites

The festival also highlighted newer business ideas built around familiar Panamanian products. Among them was Brezzes, a local brand offering coconut water in a more practical, hygienic and safe presentation. Carlos Badillo said the concept began in 2025 after studies and testing and was formally launched in 2026.

Badillo explained that the project grew out of concerns about the traditional way of opening coconuts, which can lead to spills or accidents. The product is processed at a plant in Pedregal, in Panama City, where the coconut is prepared, capped and fitted with a straw before distribution. That kind of innovation shows how cultural festivals in Panama are also becoming business showcases for food processing, packaging and value-added products.

Other popular items included patí, plantintá and Caribbean-style dishes with seafood such as octopus and shrimp, underscoring the diversity of Afro-Antillean culinary influence in Panama. For local producers, these events offer direct access to consumers and a chance to test products in a high-visibility setting.

## Culture Beyond the Plate

The day also featured folk performances, runway presentations, diablos and congos, comparsas and other artistic expressions associated with Afro-descendant heritage in Panama. Together, these elements helped turn Mi Pueblito Afroantillano into a living cultural space rather than a static exhibit.

Panama’s Afro-Antillean communities have played a central role in the country’s history, particularly in Colón and along the Caribbean coast, and their influence is visible in language, religion, music and cuisine. Events like Afro Panamá Food bring that history into public view in the capital, while also supporting entrepreneurs who depend on cultural recognition to grow their businesses.

As May continues, the celebration of Afro-Antillean identity remains a reminder that Panama’s national culture is deeply shaped by Caribbean roots, and that those traditions continue to evolve through food, fashion and enterprise.