Guloya Festival

The Guloya Festival begins on the first day of the year in San Pedro de Macorís. It is held to celebrate the cultural influence of the Cuban immigrants who founded this town when fleeing from their own country's War of Independence in the 19th century. Cuban immigrants who brought their extensive knowledge of sugarcane farming with them, eventually turning San Pedro into the most economically important port in the country.

Currently, the town no longer holds its former significance, but the Guyola festival stills draw massive crowds each January to watch the raucous drummer’s procession through the Miramar neighborhood and affords a glimpse of a colorful subculture you won’t be able to get elsewhere. Guloya festival is one of the best Festivals in the Dominican Republic. Each January a massive crowd, dressed in vibrant Junkanoo-like costumes dance their way through the streets of the Miramar neighborhood, to various drums and flutes. It is one of the best and most colorful parade on the whole island. The Guloyas dance has also been classified by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Patrimony of Humanity.

Where: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic

When: The first day of the year