Fiestas Patrias (Fondas)

Each September 18th, Chile marks its independence from Spain with Fiestas Patrias, a celebration that transforms towns and cities across the country as temporary venues known as fondas — also called ramadas or chinganas — spring up in parks and public spaces nationwide. One of the most well known, La Grandiosa Bertita in Santiago's O'Higgins Park, gives a sense of the scale these venues can reach.

Fondas serve as hubs of Chilean folkloric culture for the days surrounding the holiday. Visitors dress as huasos, Chile's traditional horsemen, in ponchos and straw hats, dance the national cueca, and watch Chilean rodeo performed in the media luna arena. Food and drink are central to the celebration: empanadas, anticuchos (meat skewers), and terremotos — a potent cocktail of pipeño wine, grenadine and pineapple ice cream — are fondas staples, alongside mote con huesillo, a refreshing sweet drink made from wheat and dried peaches.

Games and activities round out the fonda experience, from dart-throwing to ring-tossing and children's fishing pools. For visitors in Chile around September 18th, fondas offer the single most accessible, nationwide way to experience how thoroughly food, music and national identity intertwine in Chilean culture.