Cartagena International Music Festival 2027: Dates, Tickets and Programme

The Cartagena International Music Festival is one of the most distinctive classical music events in Latin America, held each January in the UNESCO-listed walled city of Cartagena de Indias. The festival uses the city’s colonial architecture as its stage: concerts take place in historic churches, convents, plazas, and courtyards that give the performances an atmosphere no purpose-built concert hall can replicate.

Background and character

Founded in 2005, the festival has built a reputation for programming that moves between chamber music, baroque, contemporary composition, and world music rather than focusing on mainstream repertoire. International soloists and ensembles perform alongside Colombian musicians, and the festival explicitly aims to connect its programming to Cartagena’s cultural identity as a Caribbean port city shaped by African, Indigenous, and European traditions.

Venues for the 2027 edition (9 to 17 January) are likely to include the Convento de La Popa, San Pedro Claver church, the historic Casa de la Proclamacion, and open-air stages in the Plaza de los Coches and Plaza Santo Domingo. The full programme is typically published in November or December; check the official website for confirmed venue listings.

Tickets and access

Most ticketed concerts cost between approximately COP 30,000 and COP 150,000, varying by venue capacity and artist. Some outdoor plaza performances are free to attend. A festival pass covering multiple events is sometimes available at a discount. Tickets can be purchased online via the festival website or at box offices in Cartagena once the programme is announced.

The festival attracts international visitors, so popular concerts — particularly chamber concerts in intimate church settings — sell out quickly. If you have specific performances in mind, book as soon as tickets go live rather than waiting until you arrive in the city.

Getting around during the festival

The walled city (Ciudad Amurallada) is compact and walkable; most festival venues are within 15 to 20 minutes on foot of each other. Evening concerts in the old city are easily reached on foot from hotels within or just outside the walls. For venues on the hill (like La Popa), taxis or mototaxis are the practical option — the road is steep and not suitable for walking at night.

January is peak tourist season in Cartagena. Book accommodation well in advance, particularly if you want to stay inside the walled city. Prices for hotels and guesthouses (hospedajes) rise sharply in early January.

What to wear and bring

Evenings in Cartagena are warm but a light layer is worth carrying for air-conditioned church interiors, which can be noticeably cool. Smart casual is appropriate for ticketed concerts; outdoor plaza events are more relaxed. Bring insect repellent for outdoor evening performances — the evening breeze from the bay helps but does not eliminate mosquitoes entirely.

See our Cartagena city guide for accommodation options and neighbourhood guidance, and our best time to visit Colombia for a broader look at January conditions across the country.