Santa Marta, June 12, 2025 — In the heart of the Camellón neighborhood of the most beautiful bay in the Americas, Santa Marta experienced an unexpected and powerful celebration this Wednesday: the first official flashmob in honor of the 500-year-old song. Dozens of dancers, citizens, and tourists joined in the urban rhythm of this piece, which is already becoming the city’s anthem.
A flashmob is a spontaneous artistic intervention in a public space. On this occasion, it was a collective choreography that took those present by surprise and transformed the Camellón neighborhood into a dance floor. The activity sought to invite citizens to experience the song through their bodies, rhythm, and shared emotion, as a symbol of unity, pride, and Samarian identity.
The moment was even more special with the participation of renowned Samarian artists such as Lalo Ebratt, who surprised everyone with a vibrant, authentic performance full of local flavor. The performance connected generations and corners of the city in a single musical pulse facing the Caribbean Sea.
The 500th Anniversary Song is a collective creation led by Carlos Vives, with the participation of Santa Marta artists of different generations and styles, such as Li Saumet, Lalo Ebratt, L’omy, Yera, Paola Lacera, Estereobeat, Rashid Zawady, Olga Lucia Vives, Laura Maré, Gloria Torres, among others. Each contributes their voice, identity, and rhythm to a work that celebrates the cultural and sonic richness of Santa Marta.
This activation is part of the campaign led by Carlos Vives and the Tras La Perla Initiative to position the song as an emotional and cultural symbol of the fifteenth anniversary. “Santa Marta isn’t just heard: it’s danced, shouted, painted, and felt. And yesterday, literally, we danced in front of the sea,” one of the spectators remarked.
The flashmob recording will be shared on social media with the hashtags #LaCiudadDelOrigen and #SantaMarta500Años, as an open invitation for more people, from their neighborhoods and communities, to join this collective celebration.
This is just the first chapter in a series of artistic and cultural experiences that seek to sow song in the living memory of all of Santa Marta, uniting past, present, and future through music.
About Tras La Perla An initiative that promotes the comprehensive development of Santa Marta and its region, including the Ciénaga Grande and the Sierra Nevada. It seeks to foster and connect its emblematic communities and strategic habitats through infrastructure, cultural, educational, and social projects.
