Chocolate Festival Temptations

Tourists flock to San Carlos de Bariloche during Easter because of its breathtaking landscape, wide range of outdoor activities and appealing urban life. The Chocolate Festival has become an added attraction, a really popular entertainment lasting four days.

Having made up our minds to make it a family outing, we set off towards the Civic Center and the main shopping streets of the city not to miss any of the featured events. We came across a huge chocolate bar in Mitre St., 120 meters long, 40 centimeters wide and 2 thick.

Just looking at it made our mouths water, as we waited among the crowd for our turn to taste it. We also visited an exhibition of especially designed Easter board games and spent quite some time watching sculptors at work on wood.

Enticing delicacies

A throng of people walked up and down the main shopping streets careful not to miss the presentations of the chocolate makers and chocolatiers, the displays in the shop windows and, in some cases the manufacturing process itself. We noticed many tourists tasting different brands, some classic, some new, as they happily strolled along the streets.

On Easter Sunday the Civic Center was packed with visitors anxiously awaiting the highlight of the celebration: breaking a gigantic Easter egg. The chocolatiers were welcomed with a hearty round of applause for their 8 ton piece, which would soon be broken and distributed among the people who had patiently been waiting for several hours.

Before the final countdown, all eyes were glued to the municipal clock to see how many minutes were left. When the time came, the voice of the speakers, the balloons and silver papers flying above our heads and the music moved children and adults alike as the symbolic cut was made with a pickaxe from atop a crane.

The huge chocolate plates were cut into portions and distributed while the celebration and dancing continued at the square by Lake Nahuel Huapi. That day, the St Bernard dogs had to give up their usual place as protagonists.

We went on our last trip to the chocolate shops to comply with our family’s request: ‘Bring us some chocolate!’ The distinctive aroma of chocolate, as prepared by the old settlers in Bariloche captivated us once again.

The dedication of the organizers and the response of the public clearly show that the Bariloche Chocolate Festival is here to stay!