Riosucio 5.84

Riosucio is a town and municipality in the department of Caldas in Colombia. It is best known for its biennial carnival, officially called the Carnival of Riosucio but commonly known by its former name of the "Carnival of the Devil", and is one of the biggest and most popular carnivals in Colombia.GeographyThe municipality is located in the west of the department. It is bounded by the municipality of Supía to the east, the municipality of Filadelfia to the south-east, the department of Risaralda to the south and west, and the department of Antioquia to the north. The total area of the municipality is 429.1 km2. The town of Riosucio lies at an altitude of 1783 meters above sea level, 91 km west of the departmental capital Manizales.ClimateThe average temperature is 20C all year round.Carnival of RiosucioRiosucio's principal attraction is the Carnival of Riosucio, also known as the Carnival of the Devil, that takes place every two years in early January. It is one of the best known and most popular carnivals in Colombia, along with those of Barranquilla, Manizales and Pasto. Unlike those large cities, however, the small town of Riosucio is not equipped to host the tens of thousands of visitors that descend on the town for the festivities, and consequently accommodation is extremely difficult to come by: most of the town’s hotels are fully booked months in advance, and many visitors resort to bringing a tent and camping where they can find space, or even simply sleeping rough on the streets.