Barranquilla Carnival 2027: Dates, Parade Schedule and Ticket Guide

Barranquilla Carnival (Carnaval de Barranquilla) is the second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro and the largest in Latin America after Rio and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife carnival. Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2003, it draws more than a million visitors each year to a four-day celebration built around music, dance, elaborate costumes and a cultural heritage rooted in the meeting of Indigenous, African and Spanish traditions.

The festival takes place each year in late February or early March - always the four days leading up to Ash Wednesday. In 2026, Carnival ran from 28 February to 3 March; in 2027 it runs from 27 February to 2 March. Check carnavaldebarranquilla.org for the confirmed calendar each year.

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The Four Days of Carnival

Saturday: La Batalla de Flores

The Batalla de Flores (Battle of Flowers) is the opening parade and the most photographed event of the week. It launched in 1903 when General Domingo Roncallo threw flowers from a passing float to the crowd - a tradition that has grown into a multi-kilometre parade down the Vía 40.

The parade runs from approximately 2pm to 8pm along the Vía 40 boulevard, with hundreds of floats, dance comparsas (groups) and the Carnival Queen’s float at the centre. The Queen of Carnival is elected each year by the carnival organisation, and her coronation ceremony takes place the Thursday before Carnival begins.

Grandstand seats along the Vía 40 offer the best viewing. Book a tribuna ticket through the official website from October or November - seated covered grandstands in the best sections cost approximately COP 250,000–350,000 as of 2026; open standing sections from COP 80,000.

Sunday: Gran Parada de Tradición y Folklore

The Grande Parada (Grand Parade of Tradition and Folklore) is considered the cultural heart of Carnival - a slower, longer procession focused on traditional dances, costumes and musical forms that form the backbone of the whole festival.

Key dances you’ll see on Sunday: Cumbia, the foundational Afro-Colombian rhythm of the coast, danced by women in long layered skirts carrying candles; Mapalé, a fast, energetic dance with African roots; Congo groups with warrior masks and colourful body paint; Garabato dances representing the battle between life and death, with a character dressed as Death pursuing dancers through the street. Each tradition has its own comparsas with costumes made months in advance.

Monday: Gran Parada de Marimondas y Monocucos

Monday is the day of the Marimonda - Barranquilla’s signature carnival character, a hybrid creature with an elephant nose and donkey ears, wearing polka-dot costumes and built from the cheapest possible materials. The Marimonda was originally created as a satire of the upper classes, using the most ridiculous costume possible as a way to mock pomposity. Today it’s the defining symbol of the Barranquilla Carnival.

Marimonda costumes are available from street vendors and markets around the city from approximately COP 30,000 for a basic mask and suit. Wearing one is expected - locals will pull you into dancing if you’re dressed up and unprepared.

Monday is also the most raucous day on the streets outside the formal parade route. The neighbourhood parties in Barrio Abajo, the traditional carnival barrio just south of the city centre, run all day and into the night, with live cumbia and vallenato bands playing from balconies and on corner stages.

Tuesday: La Gran Vía 40 y Entierro de Joselito

Tuesday is the final and most emotional day. The afternoon parade on the Vía 40 runs until dusk, and as night falls, the Entierro de Joselito (Burial of Joselito) takes place - a symbolic funeral procession for the Carnival character who embodies the spirit of the festival. Women dress as widows, wailing in mock grief, while the crowd processes through the streets in a mixture of mourning and celebration. It is one of the most distinctive cultural rituals in South America.

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Costume Traditions

The main costume categories at Barranquilla Carnival are deeply coded with meaning:

Marimonda: Elephant nose, donkey ears, polka dots. The satirist of the carnival.

Congo: Warrior costumes in bright reds and blues with elaborate headdresses, rooted in African resistance traditions. Congo groups come from the Caribbean coast towns and each group guards its own choreography jealously.

Palayero: Inspired by the Palenqueras (Afro-Colombian women who historically sold fruit in the street), this costume features wide layered skirts and baskets of fruit balanced on the head.

Garabato: Life in white, Death in black. The Garabato dance tells the story of the eternal battle between the two, with Death always eventually losing to Life’s dancing. The costumes are unmistakable: elaborate painted faces and trailing black robes for Death, flowing white for Life.

Rey Momo: The King of Carnival - a rotund, jovial figure representing excess and celebration. Children’s Rey Momo groups are a staple of the Sunday parade.

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Hotels: Book Early

Within a 15-minute walk of the Vía 40 parade route, these are the options most likely to have availability if you book in October or November:

Budget: Hotel San Francisco near the historic centre, COP 130,000–200,000 per night (rates roughly double during Carnival weekend). Hostel Social in El Prado district, dorms from COP 75,000.

Mid-range: Hotel El Prado (the city’s landmark 1930 hotel with a large pool), standard rooms COP 380,000–500,000 normal rates; Carnival rates typically COP 650,000–900,000 per night. Hotel Sonesta Barranquilla on the north side of the city, COP 320,000–460,000 standard rates.

Upmarket: Estelar Alto Prado in the El Prado neighbourhood, doubles from COP 580,000–780,000; Carnival rates COP 900,000–1,300,000. Book directly with the hotel in October for the best Carnival-weekend rates - third-party sites often show inflated prices and limited availability.

If you cannot find a hotel in Barranquilla, Cartagena (2 hours by bus) and Santa Marta (2.5 hours) can serve as bases, though day-tripping to the parades by bus during Carnival requires very early departure and means missing the night events.

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Food and Drink Along the Parade Route

Barranquilla Carnival is as much about eating as dancing. Along the Vía 40 and in the side streets running off it, stalls open from noon throughout the four days.

Street food: Look for bollo de yuca (pressed yuca dough with anise) served with butter, COP 3,000–5,000. Empanadas de pipián (stuffed with tomato-potato sauce), COP 3,000 each. Arepa con huevo (egg-stuffed cornmeal fritter) fried to order, COP 5,000–8,000. Ceviche barranquillero served in plastic cups with crispy carimañolas on the side, COP 15,000–25,000.

Drinks: Cold Águila beer is the default - vendors sell from ice-filled polystyrene boxes along every parade viewing street at COP 4,000–6,000 per can. Chirrinche (raw sugarcane spirit, a Carnival tradition) is sold in small plastic cups; treat it with respect.

Sit-down options near the Vía 40: La Cueva on Carrera 43 is the legendary Barranquilla restaurant - once frequented by Gabriel García Márquez, still serving quality coastal food; mains COP 55,000–95,000. El Totumo near Barrio El Prado does excellent sancocho and grilled fish. Carbón de Palo on the north of the city is popular for its grilled meats and has outdoor space.

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Getting to Barranquilla

By air: Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ) receives flights from Bogota (approximately 1 hour, from COP 150,000 with Wingo), Medellin and Panama City. During Carnival, prices double - book flights in September or October.

By bus from Cartagena: Approximately 2 hours, COP 25,000–40,000. Shared minibuses leave throughout the day from Cartagena’s main bus terminal.

By bus from Santa Marta: Approximately 2 to 2.5 hours, COP 25,000–45,000. Colectivos from the Santa Marta terminal run frequently.

For more on visiting Barranquilla throughout the year, see our full city guide. For a complete calendar of Colombia’s festivals and public holidays, see our Colombia festivals and events guide.