National Pollera Festival in Las Tablas

I went on vacation to Belize. The Copa Airlines in-flight magazine had an article about the National Pollera Festival, which was being held a few days after my return. It had been years since I'd been to the National Pollera Festival, and I remembered how incredibly hot it was the last time. They were supposedly going to renovate the venue, which used to be a gymnasium, to install air conditioning, but the project is still underway, and nobody knows when it will be finished.

The magazine mentioned the date, July 22nd, but didn't say where the National Pollera Festival would be held in Las Tablas. I searched online and couldn't find the information; even the news media forgot to mention something so important. Finally, I asked a friend who lives in Las Tablas, and he told me the festival would be held at the Cueva de los Leones (Cave of the Lions), which is what the Lions Club headquarters in Las Tablas is known as.

Patron Saint Festivities of Santa Librada

Those who have visited Las Tablas, the capital of the Los Santos province in Panama, know the importance of Saint Librada, the city's patron saint. The Saint Librada Festival was celebrated from July 4th to 23rd, 2026. It takes place every year on the same dates, as Saint Librada's feast day is July 20th. The procession in honor of the saint is held on Sunday, July 19th. From July 20th to 23rd, traditional competitions are held featuring violins, accordions, drums, hats (both painted and made of cane), blouses, and skirts (polleras).

All these activities contribute to national identity and heritage traditions. This festival highlights the hard work of the artisans who create these pieces. For this reason, it receives a contribution of $25,000 from the Ministry of Culture of Panama for the National Pollera Festival. The ministry also contributes $10,000 to the Camisilla and Junco Hat (Sombrero Pintao) Competition, the Victorio Vergara Accordion Competition, and the Climaco Batista National Violin Competition.

The main event, the National Pollera Festival, is celebrated on July 22, National Pollera Day. This festival dates back to July 1957, established by municipal agreement. Later, it was formalized by Law 50 of November 24, 1961, to be celebrated on July 22 of each year. Formerly, this day was known as midday or the day of serenity, when women adorned themselves with their polleras in honor of Saint Librada.

National Pollera Festival 2026

In 2026, the 68th National Pollera Festival was held in Las Tablas. Her Majesty Yanelys Denis Sanchez Perez was crowned National Pollera Queen 2026. The queen's schedule included her entrance into the town of Las Tablas on July 4th. On July 11th, she was crowned at the Claudio Vazquez Gymnasium. She also participated in the Santa Librada procession and other competitions. Queen Yanelys focused her reign on religious devotion and family unity.

The Lions Club has organized the National Pollera Festival since its inception. The first queen was Margarita Lozano, from Sesteadero de Las Tablas, known for wearing the pollera at all local celebrations. This festival is essentially a competition where the artisanal techniques of the pollera montuna and pollera de labor are evaluated in the categories of embroidered, mended, marked, openwork, and shaded polleras.

Each participant must walk down a runway when called by name, in the style of a debutante. There are different categories according to the type of pollera and age, as there is a category for girls. A panel of experts evaluates each participant, who can win one of the prizes on display. Currently, the highest award is the "Margarita Lozano Medal," named in honor of the first queen. The winning polleras in each category compete again in a second round for this medal. There is also the Pablo Epifanio Medal (named in honor of the goldsmith Pablo Epifanio Sanchez).

This National Pollera Festival, like so many other festivities in Azuero, has tourist potential. However, I think I was the only person there who wasn't an organizer, participant, or even an attendee. The place wasn't very big, but it had plenty of empty chairs and a food stand at the entrance. I was only there for an hour and a half because I had to pick up my dog ​​from the Santa Librada vet, so I didn't stay until the awards ceremony. There was also a traffic accident around 5 p.m. which caused a blackout throughout the province of Los Santos until 6 a.m. of the next day. Maybe more people will be encouraged to go next year.