San José de Ocoa.- Dominican flora and fauna will be the creative starting point for the sixth edition of the International Hat Festival and La Maraca Ocoeña Awards, an event conceived to showcase the cultural identity of San José de Ocoa and promote a more responsible relationship between tourism, the community, and the environment.
The meeting will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Coroar Villas Resort, located in Tatón, a mountainous area known for its landscapes and natural wealth.
The details were provided during a press conference led by writer and cultural manager Betty Pimentel, creator of the festival and president of Ocoeños Empoderados por la Cultura y el Ecoturismo.
Pimentel explained that this edition will use art as a vehicle to draw attention to the conservation of natural resources. One of its central moments will be the selection of the costume and hat allegorical to the national flora and fauna.
The celebration will be posthumously dedicated to Zorayda Díaz, an educator linked to the visual arts and literature, whose career will be remembered as part of the program.
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“We want to make Ocoa known from the inside: its culinary art, its history, its traditions, and the talent of its people. The goal is to preserve this heritage, promote it, and turn it into an opportunity to boost responsible and sustainable tourism,” expressed Pimentel.
Pimentel explained that beyond its aesthetic dimension, the hat will once again assume the role of a narrative piece. Designs, materials, and visual references will serve to interpret the landscape, customs, and collective memory of the province.
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As part of the festival’s agenda, a new edition of the La Maraca Ocoeña Awards will be held, created to recognize the work of individuals who have contributed to the development of the province and the country.
On this occasion, 31 personalities from different professional, social, and productive fields will be recognized. The ceremony seeks to highlight stories of effort, service, and leadership associated with San José de Ocoa.
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The event will bring together more than one hundred exhibitors, including artists, artisans, agricultural producers, merchants, cooks, entrepreneurs, and representatives of cultural projects. The public will be able to discover and purchase local products, handcrafted pieces, works of art, and food prepared from recipes linked to the Ocoeña tradition.
The program will include performances by folk groups and artists, as well as a high fashion show featuring designs by Tony Boga, Maritza Soto, Alba Almonte, and David Atelier. An exhibition by visual artist Damaris Aleynis Encarnación will also be presented.
The participation of local creators and producers responds to one of the lines that has defined the festival since its inception: using culture not only as a symbolic expression, but also as a resource capable of stimulating the community‘s economy.
With six editions held, the International Hat Festival and La Maraca Ocoeña Awards have established themselves as a platform for provincial identity where heritage, creativity, and local development converge. The 2026 proposal expands that perspective by placing the protection of biodiversity at the center of its cultural discourse.
