Barranquilla Carnival

Four days before Lent

The Carnaval de Barranquilla offers a repertory of dances and music from many of Colombia’s regional cultures, blending European, African and Indigenous traditions. Among its dances are the Spanish paloteo, the African congo and the Indigenous mico y micas; its music is above all cumbia, played by drum and wind ensembles; and it is full of handmade floats, costumes and masks. Theatrical groups satirise politicians and the events of the day. The carnival was declared national cultural heritage in 2002 and proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.

It opens on Saturday with the Battle of Flowers, first held in 1903 to celebrate the end of the Thousand Days’ War. On Sunday and Monday comes the Great Parade, introduced in 1967, along with the Orchestra Festival of Caribbean and Latin bands. On Tuesday the carnival ends with the burial of Joselito Carnaval, mourned by the whole city. Its motto is Quien lo vive es quien lo goza — those who live it are the ones who enjoy it.

Before the carnival

The celebrations start unofficially just after New Year. The pre-carnival officially begins with the reading of the Carnival Proclamation, when the mayor symbolically hands the keys of the city to the carnival queen, who reads a “decree” of what is allowed and forbidden. The queen is crowned on the Thursday before the Battle of Flowers, and on the Friday before the carnival comes La Guacherna, a night parade first held in 1974 and considered the most important pre-carnival event. King Momo has been one of the carnival’s main characters since 1888, and the first queen was chosen in 1918.