Colombia Festivals and Events: The Complete Year-Round Guide

Colombia celebrates more fiestas than almost any country in Latin America. The calendar runs from the Black and White Carnival in early January to the Cali Fair in late December, with major events in every region and every season. This guide covers the six most significant Colombian festivals - what they involve, when they happen, ticket costs where applicable, and how to plan your accommodation before it sells out.

January: Manizales Fair (Feria de Manizales)

Dates: First two weeks of January (typically 2–12 January each year) Location: Manizales, Caldas department

The Feria de Manizales is the Coffee Region’s answer to Barranquilla Carnival: ten days of bullfighting, concerts, beauty pageants, and street parties that take over Colombia’s coffee capital every new year. The centrepiece event is the Reinado Internacional del Café, an international beauty pageant that has run since 1935 and draws contestants from across Latin America.

Bullfights at the Plaza de Toros Gilberto Alzate Avedaño are the most traditional component - tickets range from approximately COP 80,000 for shade seating to COP 350,000 for premium ringside seats as of 2026. Not everyone attends the bullfights; the concurrent concerts and street events are equally popular and mostly free. The El Cable neighbourhood, Manizales’s upscale zone, hosts the main outdoor stages.

Hotel tip for Manizales Fair:

• Hotel Bioma Manizales - boutique hotel in El Cable neighbourhood, walking distance to main fair venues. Rates from approximately COP 380,000/night as of 2026, book by October for January availability.
• Hotel Termales El Otoño - outside the city centre, near the thermal springs. Better for travellers combining fair attendance with the natural surroundings. Approximately COP 250,000–400,000/night.
• Budget travellers: Hostel Manizales and Kaya Hostel in the centre both see significant demand during fair weeks - book at least six weeks ahead.

January: Black and White Carnival (Carnaval de Negros y Blancos)

Dates: 2–7 January each year (coincides with the Epiphany period) Location: Pasto, Nariño department, near the Ecuadorian border

The Carnaval de Negros y Blancos is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event and one of Colombia’s most visually striking festivals. On 5 January (Día de Negros), participants paint each other black with grease and coal in reference to African cultural roots. On 6 January (Día de Blancos), white powder and talc turn the streets monochrome. The carnival mixes Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and Spanish colonial traditions into something found nowhere else in the country.

Entry to the main parades along Carrera 27 is free, though grandstand tickets for the 6 January parade of giant floats cost approximately COP 30,000–80,000 as of 2026. Pasto is at 2,600 metres altitude - bring layers.

Hotel tip for Pasto Carnival:

• Hotel Cuellar’s - the city’s most established four-star option, three blocks from the parade route. Rates jump to approximately COP 350,000–500,000/night during carnival week; advance booking is essential.
• Hotel Dann Colonial - business-class hotel with reliable WiFi and breakfast included. Approximately COP 280,000–420,000/night during carnival.
• International travellers sometimes fly in to Bogota, then take the eight-hour bus to Pasto (from approximately COP 80,000) - or fly to Cali and connect from there.

February: Barranquilla Carnival (Carnaval de Barranquilla)

Dates: Saturday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (typically mid-to-late February) Location: Barranquilla, Atlántico department

The second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event, Barranquilla Carnival is Colombia’s most internationally recognised festival. Four days of parades, cumbia dancing, marimonda costumes, and live music shut down the Caribbean city each February. The defining event is the Batalla de Flores (Battle of Flowers) parade on Saturday, followed by the Gran Parada on Sunday, and the carnival’s theatrical burial (Entierro de Joselito) on Tuesday to close proceedings.

We have a full guide to Barranquilla Carnival with parade schedules, grandstand ticket details (from approximately COP 100,000 to COP 800,000 for premium grandstand as of 2026), costume rental options, and practical logistics. The key points for planning: book hotels immediately when the 2027 dates are confirmed (usually announced in October), and budget several nights - arriving the weekend before gives you access to early neighbourhood events.

Hotel tip for Barranquilla Carnival:

• Hotel El Prado - the city’s grand historic hotel, built in 1928, close to the Vía 40 parade route. Carnival rates run approximately COP 600,000–900,000/night; book three to four months ahead.
• NH Barranquilla - reliable business-class hotel near the city centre. More available than El Prado but still sells out early. Approximately COP 450,000–700,000/night during carnival.
• Dann Carlton Barranquilla - upper-range tower hotel with pool. Often has availability until six to eight weeks out, but rates peak significantly. From approximately COP 700,000/night during carnival.

June: Rock al Parque (Bogota)

Dates: Last weekend of June (three days, Friday to Sunday) Location: Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolívar, Bogota

Rock al Parque is Latin America’s largest free rock music festival and has run in Bogota every year since 1995. Three stages host approximately 60 bands over three days, mixing Colombian rock with international acts. Entry is free - no tickets required. The programming covers rock, metal, punk, ska, and electronic subgenres, with a strong emphasis on Latin American and Colombian artists. The festival takes place in Parque Simón Bolívar, Bogota’s central green space equivalent to Hyde Park or Central Park.

For international travellers, Rock al Parque is a surprisingly easy addition to a Bogota itinerary - the Transmilenio bus rapid transit stops near the park, hotels in Chapinero and La Candelaria remain at normal rates, and no special planning is needed beyond checking the lineup (announced roughly six weeks in advance on the Rock al Parque official channels).

Hotel tip for Bogota during Rock al Parque:

• Bogota hotels rarely sell out for Rock al Parque since attendance is predominantly local. That said, the Chapinero Alto and Zona Rosa areas are the most convenient bases.
• Hotel B.O.G (Zona Rosa) - design hotel in Bogota’s upscale district, approximately COP 550,000–900,000/night.
• Casa Medina - restored colonial mansion in Chapinero, approximately COP 750,000–1,200,000/night for a high-end stay near festival transport routes.
• Budget: hostels in La Candelaria from approximately COP 60,000 per person; the Transmilenio to the festival takes around 30–40 minutes.

August: Medellin Flower Festival (Feria de las Flores)

Dates: Ten days in early August, centred on the first weekend (typically 31 July–9 August) Location: Medellin, Antioquia department

The Feria de las Flores is Medellin’s signature celebration and one of Colombia’s most photographed events. The parade’s defining image is the silleteros - flower farmers from Santa Elena mountain village who carry elaborate flower arrangements (silletas) strapped to their backs on wooden frames. Each silleta takes weeks to assemble and can weigh 50–80kg; the silletero parade on the final Sunday draws hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Beyond the silletero parade, the festival includes a classic car parade (Desfile de Autos Antiguos y Clásicos), the Cabalgata (horse parade), orchid and flower exhibitions in Pueblito Paisa and the botanical garden, and live concerts throughout El Centro and El Poblado. Most of these events are free. The Desfile de Silleteros on the final Sunday is the main event - arrive by 8am for grandstand positions along Avenida Oriental.

Hotel tip for Medellin Flower Festival:

• Medellin hotels book up, particularly in El Poblado and Laureles. Book at least two months ahead for August.
• Hotel Diez Medellin - mid-range design hotel in El Poblado close to the Parque del Poblado concentration of bars and restaurants. Approximately COP 380,000–580,000/night during festival.
• El Dorado Hotel Medellin - well-established four-star near the city centre. Approximately COP 350,000–500,000/night.
• Casa Laureles - boutique guesthouse in the Laureles neighbourhood; quieter than El Poblado during festival week and around 20 percent cheaper. From approximately COP 220,000–350,000/night.

December: Cali Fair (Feria de Cali)

Dates: 25–30 December each year Location: Cali, Valle del Cauca department

The Feria de Cali is the world’s largest salsa festival and the anchor event for Colombia’s salsa capital. Six days of concerts, salsa competitions, outdoor stages (tarimas), bullfighting at the Plaza de Toros Cañaveralejo, and city-wide celebrations coincide with Christmas and New Year - making it one of the most festive periods in any Colombian city. Salsa schools compete publicly, top international salsa artists perform, and the nightlife districts of Juanchito and Barrio Granada run continuously from late evening until morning.

Salsa competition tickets for the Encuentro de Melómanos y Coleccionistas (record collectors’ competition) and Salsódromo parade cost approximately COP 50,000–200,000 as of 2026 depending on grandstand section. The outdoor tarimas (stages) along the Río Cali walkway are free. See our Cali city guide for more on the city and salsa scene year-round.

Hotel tip for Cali Fair:

• Cali hotels during Feria week are the most competitive in the city’s calendar. Book at minimum two to three months ahead.
• InterContinental Cali - the city’s flagship luxury hotel, reliable for the Feria period. Rates run approximately COP 700,000–1,100,000/night during the fair.
• Hotel Dann Carlton Cali - large central hotel convenient for most fair venues. Approximately COP 500,000–800,000/night.
• Oasis Hotel Cali - mid-range option in Barrio Granada, the neighbourhood that comes most alive during the fair. From approximately COP 300,000–500,000/night.

---

Colombia’s festival calendar is dense enough that it is worth scheduling your trip around at least one major event. The Barranquilla Carnival and Medellin Flower Festival are the most internationally famous; the Black and White Carnival in Pasto and the Manizales Fair offer a more local, less touristy experience. Rock al Parque is the best free festival in Latin America and requires no planning beyond showing up.

For help planning around specific festival dates, our best time to visit Colombia guide covers all twelve months with event calendars and weather patterns by region.