The event was put together as a homage by the Panama Institute of Tourism (IPAT) for the traditional dress of the nation.  This was the second year that this parade had been put on which had a 4:00 p.m. start time.  By 5:00 p.m., they were just dancing past the intersection of the Paitilla Hospital coming up the raise of the street.  Both sides of the street were lines with spectators, both national and foreign, but I'm going to say there were more people on the north side as the sun hid behind the tall buildings, whereas those on the south side had the sun in their eyes and some were not so lucky to be in the shadows.  Though I didn't watch the whole parade from start to finish, which I understand went on past 7:00 p.m., there was a large assortment of polleras from the simple dress to the elaborate full-fledged adornment.  Some of the different folkloric groups were from the Comptroller's Office, the Ministry of the Presidency, the Panama Canal Authority, and the Panama Institute of Tourism.  Other groups participating and some with colorful floats, were Ritmas Y Raíces, Delta, Panama Danzas, Alcaldía de Panamá, Pan-American School, Nueva Sangre Interiorana, and the Chinese Community, which has 150 years of being integated in the national culture.  The list of participating groups included the Ministry of Health, Hospital Nacional, Caja de Ahorros, National Association of Nurses of Panama, University del Istmo, and other schools and organizations and also extended to the different communities and provinces outside Panama City.

First shot is of the beginning of the parade where they were passing the intersection from Paitilla Hospital.The second and third shots are of some of the groups with the colorful arrangements.  Guess most know that part of the head piece is called a "tembleques".  The decorative hair piece is made of fish scales, ribbons, wire and beads.  The other hair piece is a "peinetas" or ornamental combs.  They can be from the simple to very expensive.

As the parade continued throughout the late afternoon and the different conjuntos beat out the rhythm of their music, you could see people on the sidewalks gyrating to the music. Not sure how the vendors made out, but they were out there roaming, selling their sodas, bottled water, rapados (flavored ice cones), popsicles, and where stands sold cooked food such as burgers, hot dogs, chicken, chorizos, and other favorites.

In picture #4, I was trying to get a decent shot of how far the parade went up 50th Street and as you can tell, it was packed.  Though typical of parades in Panama, as I was walking towards the parade, the authorities were able to keep the spectators off the street and on the sidewalks.  Normally, parades function well with this setup.  But as soon as the different groups approached in line, before you knew it, the spectators were in the street as they tried to get a better view.  Mind you, there were still people lining the sidewalks but it got crowded in a hurry."

Overall, I think everything went well and it didn't rain to dampen the spirits".