Under a canopy of twinkling lights and thumping basslines, reggaeton royalty J Balvin stormed the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stage last night, delivering a six-hour odyssey of hits, surprises, and hometown homage that had 45,000 fans chanting his signature call: "¿Y dónde está mi gente?"

The electrifying "Made in Medellín – Ciudad Primavera" spectacle—his first solo show in the city in six years—transformed the venue into a pulsating tribute to the "City of Eternal Spring," blending urban anthems with immersive visuals of Medellín's murals, metrocables, and resilient spirit.

A Prodigal Son's Coronation

Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín in the hills of San Javier, Balvin's return felt like a prodigal son's coronation. Last performed here on November 30, 2019, the global icon—whose streams top 40 billion on Spotify—promised "the biggest show of my career," and he delivered.

Kicking off around 8 p.m. after a 2 p.m. feria kickoff with local food trucks and DJ sets, the production boasted a 360-degree stage, 50 Colombian dancers, and a 70-person crew crafting pyrotechnics synced to tracks like "Mi Gente," "Ginza," and "Safari."

19 Surprise Guests

Over 19 surprise guests lit up the night: Feid soundchecked publicly via social media, hyping a potential "Ferxxocalipsis" crossover, while Ryan Castro joined the fray. Whispers of international drops like Dua Lipa for a "Relax" remix had the crowd roaring. Nine emerging acts from Medellín's Music Lab snagged VIP access, underscoring Balvin's nod to local talent.

Pure Medellín Magic

Fans in neon jerseys and flower crowns packed the stands, their faces painted with spring motifs, as LED screens projected Balvin's journey—from barrio kid to Billboard conqueror. "This is for the ones who've always been there," he shouted midway through "Ay Vamos," dedicating the set to the city's youth and underdogs.

Social media erupted: Videos of the crowd's synchronized jumps to "Tranquila" racked up millions of views. By 2 a.m., as the final notes of "Colores" faded, attendees spilled into streets alive with impromptu block parties, street vendors hawking elote con queso, and the faint scent of arepas mingling with pyrotechnic smoke.

Metro Runs All Night 🚇

The real MVP? Medellín's Metro, which morphed into a nocturnal lifeline for the exodus. In a strategic alliance with Balvin, the system ran continuous service from 11 p.m. Saturday into Sunday's sunrise—its 30th anniversary serendipitously aligning with the chaos.

Lines A and B stayed lit exclusively post-11 p.m., funneling revelers through entry stations Estadio and Floresta—mere blocks from the stadium. By 4 a.m., trains brimmed with euphoric stragglers, some belting "Relax" en route to Poblado afterparties.

Economic Ripple Effect

Flight searches to Medellín spiked 75% post-announcement, injecting millions into hotels, rideshares, and street eats—cementing Balvin's $30 million empire as a tourism turbocharger. Mayor Federico Gutiérrez hailed it as "Medellín's spring awakening."

As the sun crested the Andes this morning, bleary-eyed paisas nursed coffees and replayed clips. In Balvin's words: "Medellín florece con música." And last night, it bloomed.

Sources: El Colombiano, Infobae, Metro de Medellín, El Espectador

In a bright spot for Colombia's labor market, Medellín has clinched its position as the nation's unemployment leader—for all the right reasons—with the lowest jobless rate among major cities, according to the latest quarterly data from DANE (Colombia's statistics agency).

The city's unemployment dipped to 6.7% in the August-October period, down from 7.9% in the prior quarter, outpacing the national average and underscoring a year of sustained economic momentum.

What's Driving the Growth?

With 2.3 million residents in the labor force, the Valle de Aburrá metropolitan area added 72,000 positions this quarter alone. Key sectors leading the charge:

• Services (tourism & tech): +25,000 jobs
• Manufacturing: +15,000 jobs
• Construction: +12,000 jobs

Mayor Federico Gutiérrez credited the "Medellín Emprende" program and infrastructure projects totaling $6.3 billion that promise 180,000 direct jobs by 2027.

How Medellín Compares

City	Unemployment
Medellín	6.7% ✓
Valle de Aburrá (Metro)	6.4%
Villavicencio	8.0%
Bucaramanga	8.3%
National Average	8.2%

What This Means for Expats

The strong job market has several implications for foreigners living in or considering Medellín:

• Growing tech sector — Remote work hubs and startups are hiring
• Service economy boom — More restaurants, coworking spaces, and amenities
• Construction activity — New apartment buildings and infrastructure improvements
• Stable economy — Lower risk of social unrest or economic instability

Economists attribute Medellín's outperformance to diversified exports (up 8% in emeralds and coffee), a tourism boom (post-J Balvin concert influx), and foreign investment in renewables projected to add 20,000 jobs in 2026.

Sources: DANE, Telemedellín, Infobae, El Tiempo, Alcaldía de Medellín

For the first time in its history, Medellín has recorded zero deaths of children aged 0 to 5 years caused by acute malnutrition across two full calendar years (2024 and 2025). Alongside this life-saving milestone, the prevalence of acute malnutrition plunged from 1.1% in 2023 to an unprecedented 0.4% in 2025 — the lowest rate since records began.

The breakthrough positions Medellín as a national and regional leader in early-childhood nutrition. In a country where acute malnutrition still claims dozens of young lives annually — particularly in rural Chocó, La Guajira, and Cauca — the Antioquia capital has effectively eliminated the most severe form of hunger among its youngest residents.

"This is not luck; this is the fruit of 15 years of continuous, evidence-based policy," said Mayor Federico Gutiérrez. "Today we can say with pride: in Medellín, no child dies of hunger."

How Medellín Did It: Buen Comienzo 365

The cornerstone is Buen Comienzo 365, an expanded municipal initiative reaching more than 82,000 pregnant women and children under six each year with:

• Daily balanced meals and micronutrient supplements in 428 early-childhood centers
• Home-delivery food baskets for families in extreme poverty (15 kg of fortified rice, lentils, oil, powdered milk, and eggs monthly)
• Growth monitoring every 30–90 days by community health workers
• Immediate referral and free treatment for any child showing concerning weight
• Cash transfers conditioned on prenatal check-ups and vaccination compliance

Since 2021, Buen Comienzo has invested over COP $1.2 trillion (≈ USD $300 million), financed through municipal budgets, royalties, and partnerships with the World Food Programme and Nutresa Foundation.

By the Numbers: A Dramatic Decline

Year	Malnutrition Rate	Deaths
2019	2.3%	11
2021	1.8%	7
2023	1.1%	2
2024	0.6%	0 ✓
2025	0.4%	0 ✓

Voices from the Barrios

In the El Pinal neighborhood of Comuna 13, 24-year-old single mother Leidy Johana Martínez cradled her 11-month-old son, who was born at 28 weeks weighing just 1.1 kg.

"He spent two months in kangaroo care and came to Buen Comienzo every day. Today he's 9.8 kg and walking," she told Caracol Radio. "Before, we only ate rice and plantain. Now he gets eggs, vegetables, even chicken three times a week."

International Recognition

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have requested technical visits in early 2026 to study the model. Bogotá, Cali, and Barranquilla have already begun replicating elements of Buen Comienzo 365.

For a city that just three decades ago battled extreme poverty rates above 40%, the eradication of child malnutrition deaths stands as one of its most powerful redemption stories — proof that the "eternal spring" now nourishes not only flowers, but its children.

Sources: Caracol Radio, Alcaldía de Medellín, Secretaría de Salud, DANE, SISVAN

In a brazen daylight ambush that echoes the violent undercurrents of Colombia's paramilitary era, Mauricio Vanoy Bohórquez, the 42-year-old nephew of notorious ex-paramilitary leader Ramiro "Cuco" Vanoy, succumbed to gunshot wounds on November 24, three days after sicarios on motorcycles riddled his vehicle with bullets in a bustling Medellín neighborhood.

The killing, which left Vanoy Bohórquez brain-dead and prompted his family to withdraw life support, has ignited fears of resurgent criminal vendettas and power struggles tied to the shadowy legacies of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).

The Attack

The attack unfolded on the evening of November 21 in the La Iguaná sector of Robledo, a working-class enclave in Medellín's Comuna 10. Witnesses described a classic sicario hit: two gunmen on a single motorcycle pulled alongside Vanoy Bohórquez's white Renault Logan as it traveled eastbound along Carrera 77 near Calle 60 around 9:21 p.m.

The assailant in the passenger seat leaned toward the driver's window and unleashed a hail of gunfire, striking Vanoy Bohórquez multiple times in the head. His companion, Carmen García Arias, suffered a jaw injury but was stabilized at Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe.

Family Ties to Paramilitary Legacy

Vanoy Bohórquez was a desmovilizado from the AUC's Bloque Mineros—the unit commanded by his uncle. Prosecutors accused him of money laundering and ties to shell companies involved in illicit gold exports. An early 2025 indictment linked him to a scheme laundering drug cartel funds via mining ventures.

Who Was "Cuco" Vanoy?

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, alias "Cuco," founded Bloque Mineros in 1997 with 80 men, growing it to 2,800 fighters. A former enforcer for Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel, he was extradited to the U.S. in 2008 and now serves a 24-year sentence in Miami.

Sources: Infobae, Semana, El Tiempo, El Colombiano

Residents of the Suramericana neighborhood are waking to shattered illusions of safety. A sharp uptick in early-morning robberies has gripped this enclave in Comuna 11 (Laureles-Estadio), where thieves are scaling second-story windows and prowling streets between 2-5am.

The Numbers

Locals report a near-doubling of thefts compared to last year. Through November 2025, police apprehended 34 suspects linked to predawn raids—a 20% increase. In Laureles-Estadio, vehicle thefts jumped 12% in Q4 2025, with Suramericana accounting for 28% of incidents.

"We used to leave our doors unlocked; now, we bolt everything and still hear footsteps at night," said María Elena Vargas, a local shopkeeper.

City Response: "Dawn Shield"

Mayor Gutiérrez's administration launches December 1:

• 15 additional CCTV cameras with AI motion detection
• Neighborhood self-defense workshops
• Subsidized late-night ride-share partnerships
• 500 million COP ($125,000 USD) security allocation

What You Can Do

• Secure all entry points — including second-floor windows
• Don't leave valuables in cars — catalytic converters are targets
• Join neighborhood WhatsApp groups for real-time alerts
• Install motion-sensor lights
• Report suspicious activity — call 123

Sources: Telemedellín, El Colombiano, Infobae, El Tiempo