Invisible Cities— The Festival City

The Festival City August 24 The traveler arrived in the city. He couldn't forget the fireworks he saw on the first night of his arrival. Loud sounds surrounded the entire city. The echoes of every explosion resonated in everyone's chest. Bright golden fireworks lit up the dark night and the mountain's edge. Thousands upon thousands of umbrellas filled the crowd, their raindrops reflecting the fireworks above. The crowd screamed, and the fireworks came to an intensely dramatic ending, as if it were a collective orgasm. There he was, in his striped pajama pants, his hair still wet from the shower, still amazed by the fireworks as he walked back to his hotel. Then came the second day. Music filled every corner of the city. People danced salsa, getting one beer after another. Friends, young people, old people, and dogs crowded the streets of the city center. Stages, DJs, and speakers were everywhere, all playing loud music in a foreign language. Then, at 10:30 p.m., the fireworks began again, right on time. The traveler squeezed through the crowded streets, with random passersby accidentally bumping into his arms and legs. He saw drunkards puking as he passed by. He saw the reflections of the fireworks on the glass surfaces of the buildings as he walked through the streets, still bright, big, and beautiful. Then he stood by the riverbank and watched the fireworks with the crowd once again. The third day came. The traveler went to a nearby city. As he returned to his hotel at night, the fireworks began again, right on time. He cheered with the crowd as the fireworks ended. The fourth day came. Upon waking up, the traveler heard accordion music from the street passing through the living room window. The city was still having parties. Then came the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth... On the fifth day, a man dressed in a lizard costume ran through the crowd, shooting sparklers in every direction. The sight of the lizard rushing through the streets, surrounded by flying sparks, made the crowd cheer and scream. On the sixth day, a neighborhood in the city built paper and cardboard statues resembling mythical creatures and magicians. Thousands upon thousands of people rushed in and lined up along the streets to see this wonder. Then night came. All the citizens of the city were chatting and sitting beside long tables that stretched for tens of meters, filling the entire town square. Everyone was enjoying snacks, drinks, and endless conversations. Live music was playing on hundreds of stages in hundreds of places: one next to the museum, one in front of the church, one at the crosswalk, one in the center of the town hall, one on the bridge, one under the bridge, one in the park, one outside the park. On the seventh day, the traveler said goodbye to the festival city and headed off to the next city. In his memory of the city, the festival never ends.