Three days in Santiago de Cali to stand with a city rebuilding, celebrate Pacific Afro-diasporic culture, and invest in what comes next.
On August 10, 2026, an earthquake struck Cali. This gathering is the first international convening the city will host since. We are coming back, not as spectators, but as partners, guests, and investors in the Pacific’s next chapter.
Cali is home to the largest Black middle class in all of Latin America, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, and institutions that make the city the cultural and economic capital of the Afro-Colombian Pacific.
Recovery is when long-term capital and partnerships shape a city. The Business Roundtable seats the Afro-Colombian leaders behind some of Colombia’s most successful small and medium-size businesses across from African-American leaders running medium to large companies, with the Alcaldía as host and partner.
Meet the entrepreneurs behind #VivaPacífico in the Exhibition Hall, and carry those relationships forward through the Palenque Fund, Palenque Labs, and Expectant Advisory long after the closing ceremony.
Three core days are built to earn the celebration they deliver: we arrive as guests of a city still rebuilding, move through dialogue and cultural exchange, and close with institutional commitment and joy. An optional fourth day carries that solidarity to the Pacific coast.
Check-in at Hotel Spiwak. An opening invocation, led by a Pacific-coast elder, remembering those lost in the earthquake. Welcome dinner of Pacific-coast cuisine with live currulao and marimba, then the 2nd Flore-Ser Fashion Show.
Welcome addresses and five mainstage spotlights on investing in and rebuilding the Pacific. Afternoon deeper-dive tracks, including the Black Business Roundtable. The evening belongs to the FOTD Awards Reception & Dinner.
Concurrent morning sessions on investing, building, culture, and community. Then from the conference room into the neighborhoods of east Cali for a community Sancocho in Oriente, and a closing after-party of salsa and Pacific rhythms.
A solidarity visit to an earthquake-affected neighborhood with a remembrance of alabaos and arrullos, lunch with local entrepreneurs and fishing cooperatives, and the mangroves by canoe. Sign-up required by February 1, 2027.
Festival agenda · Santiago de Cali, Colombia
Hotel Spiwak & Hotel Spirito, Chipichape, Cali
Draft agenda: session titles and speakers are proposed and subject to confirmation.
Day 1 · Thursday, February 25, 2027
Grief and welcome: we arrive as guests of a city still rebuilding
2:00 – 6:00 PM
Check-in, badge and welcome-kit pickup, Business Roundtable and excursion confirmations.
Hotel Spiwak, lobby level
6:30 – 7:00 PM
A Pacific-coast elder opens the Festival with a moment of remembrance for those lost in the August 10, 2026 earthquake.
Welcome dinner venue (Spiwak/Spirito)
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Pacific-coast cuisine with live currulao and marimba.
Welcome dinner venue (Spiwak/Spirito)
8:30 – 10:00 PM
Up to 20 Colombian designers (Diseñadores de moda) on the runway, followed by a designer showcase where guests can buy directly.
Runway venue (Spiwak/Spirito)
Day 2 · Friday, February 26, 2027
A full day on the mainstage, deeper-dive tracks in the afternoon, and the FOTD Awards at night
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Coffee, networking, and late registration.
Pre-function area, Hotel Spiwak
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak
10:00 – 10:30 AM
Why the recovery year is the moment for diaspora capital to commit to Cali and the Pacific coast.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak · speakers TBC
10:30 – 11:00 AM
Community-led reconstruction in Buenaventura, Oriente, and the Chocó, and what #VivaPacífico has learned.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak · speakers TBC
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Afro-Colombian entrepreneurs and professionals building the businesses that anchor the city.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak · speakers TBC
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Venture, SMB, and impact capital for founders that traditional capital has overlooked.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak · speakers TBC
12:00 – 12:30 PM
Music, fashion, gastronomy, and tourism as growth sectors for the Pacific.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak · speakers TBC
12:30 – 2:00 PM
A 90-minute midday break: lunch, rest, or informal meetings.
Hotel Spiwak restaurant / on your own
| Time | Track A · Black Business Roundtable | Track B · Deeper-dive sessions |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 – 3:15 | Opening & sector tablesAfro-Colombian leaders of successful SMEs meet African-American leaders of medium to large companies at facilitated sector tables (agribusiness, construction, tourism, tech, creative industries). | Reconstruction financeHousing, infrastructure, and blended capital for community-led rebuilding. |
| 3:15 – 4:30 | Match-making, commitments & report-outOne-to-one meetings on joint ventures, supplier relationships, and investment, closing with documented commitments. | Talent & workforce developmentExecutive talent, Executive-in-Residence models, and pathways for the next generation of Pacific leaders. |
Track A is by invitation; Track B is open to all registered attendees. Rooms at Hotel Spiwak/Spirito to be confirmed.
4:30 – 7:00 PM
Free time before the evening program.
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Presentation of the FOTD100 Awards honoring leaders of Cali's earthquake recovery and the diaspora network, followed by dinner and live music.
Awards venue (Spiwak/Spirito)
Day 3 · Saturday, February 27, 2027
From the conference room into the neighborhoods of east Cali
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Hotel Spiwak
9:00 – 9:15 AM
Cordell Carter on the day ahead: Oriente travel, the closing party, and Sunday's Buenaventura excursion.
Mainstage, Hotel Spiwak
| Time | Track 1 · Invest & Build | Track 2 · Culture & Community |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Investing in Colombia 101Legal structures, banking, and partnering for diaspora investors. | Women building the PacificAfro-Colombian women founders and leaders. |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | The blue & green economyBuenaventura, the port, fisheries, and conservation. | Memory & heritageAlabaos, arrullos, and preserving Pacific traditions. |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Tourism & hospitalityBringing the diaspora to Cali, and keeping value local. | Youth & educationUniversities, scholarships, and the next generation of leaders. |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Founders on stageShort pitches from Colombian startups and #VivaPacífico entrepreneurs. | Healing after the earthquakePsychosocial recovery and community care. |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | City-to-city partnershipsSister-city, trade, and procurement links with U.S. cities. | Telling our storiesMedia and storytelling with EtnicaTV and PoB Studios. |
Session titles are proposals for curation; speakers to be confirmed.
12:00 – 12:45 PM
Buses depart from Hotel Spiwak (about 100 attendees).
Hotel Spiwak, main entrance
1:00 – 4:30 PM
A traditional chicken-and-vegetable soup (sancocho), prepared with and served to attendees, local children, and families.
A chance to get to know Oriente: its people, community leaders, music, and dance.
Community site in Oriente (TBC with the Alcaldía and community partners)
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Buses return to Hotel Spiwak.
Evening
A list of recommended Cali restaurants will be shared in the Festival app.
9:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Celebrate the close of the 2027 Festival of the Diaspora with salsa and Pacific rhythms.
Venue in Cali (TBC)
Day 4 · Sunday, February 28, 2027 (optional)
Solidarity on the Pacific coast · sign-up required by February 1, 2027 · about 35 attendees
6:30 AM
Coach to Buenaventura (2.5–3 hours each way); breakfast boxes on board.
Hotel Spiwak, main entrance
9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
A visit to an earthquake-affected neighborhood with community partners (MARGEN), with a remembrance of alabaos and arrullos.
Buenaventura (sites TBC)
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Lunch with local business owners and fishing cooperatives.
Buenaventura
1:30 – 3:00 PM
Eco-tour of the mangroves with community guides.
Bahía Málaga / Uramba area
3:00 PM
Arrival at Hotel Spiwak around 6:00 PM. Lodging on the night of February 28 is not included in Festival passes.
All Inclusive passes include three nights of lodging, the full program, and the optional Buenaventura excursion. Prices rise as the Festival approaches, and no All Inclusive passes will be sold after February 15, 2027. International airfare is booked separately.
Delegates from Brazil, Ghana, and across the diaspora are welcome to purchase any Festival Pass. Prefer to book your own hotel? The $750 Festival Pass covers the full program without lodging.
Colombian Leader/Líder colombiano tickets (COP 350,000) and Expositor and Diseñador de moda tickets (COP 300,000) are priced in Colombian pesos, require a cédula number at checkout, and do not include lodging. Expositor and Diseñador de moda tickets are limited to 20 each.
Lead a medium to large company in the U.S., or a leading Afro-Colombian small or medium-size business? Seats at the Day 2 Roundtable are by invitation.
Indigenous and Afro-Colombian students and emerging leaders attend fully funded, selected with MARGEN, university partners, and community organizations.
Bringing a delegation of 10 or more? We’ll hold rooms together at Hotel Spiwak & Hotel Spirito.
All Inclusive passes include three nights at Hotel Spiwak & Hotel Spirito (nights of Feb 25, 26 & 27), the full three-day program with catered functions, and a place on the optional Buenaventura excursion. The $750 Festival Pass and tickets for Colombian attendees include the program but not lodging. International airfare is not included.
Start at the Day 2 Business Roundtable and the #VivaPacífico showcase in the Exhibition Hall, where you meet Pacific entrepreneurs directly. After the Festival, the Palenque Fund, Palenque Labs, and Expectant Advisory carry those relationships into investment and partnership. You can also sponsor a Colombian delegate seat today.
It is included in registration and optional. Sign up by February 1, 2027 so coaches, meals, and security can be arranged. The coach leaves Hotel Spiwak at 6:30 AM and returns to Cali around 6:00 PM; lodging for the night of Feb 28 is not included in any pass.
We are working with the Mayor’s Office on structural clearances for every venue, and the Alcaldía is providing event security. Travel guidance will be shared with every registrant.
