Come dance inside the second-largest carnival on Earth, a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. For eight days, Barranquilla stops being a city and becomes one enormous street party: flower-covered floats, hundred-strong comparsas, cumbia drums that never stop, and two million people who treat joy like a civic duty. This is Carnaval de Barranquilla, February 2027, the Battle of Flowers, the Grand Parade, the Guacherna, and the bittersweet Death of Joselito that closes it all out.
DESTINATION
Barranquilla, Colombia
DATES
February 3 - 10
DURATION
8 Days | 7 Nights
Batalla de Flores · Guacherna · Gran Parada de Tradición · Cumbia & Mapalé · Muerte de Joselito · Comparsas
This isn't a tour.
It's a full cultural immersion
Imagine standing on Vía 40 as the Cumbiódromo fills with color, hundred-dancer comparsas in feathers and sequins, flower-draped floats rolling past at a walking pace, and a wall of drums so loud you feel it in your chest before you hear it. This is not a parade you watch from a screen. It is a parade that pulls you in, foam and all, from the very first afternoon.
You'll learn cumbia and mapalé from dancers who grew up in these streets, by day. By night, you'll be inside the Guacherna's candlelit procession, front row at the Battle of Flowers, and dancing until sunrise with a group of strangers who feel like family by day three. Barranquilla doesn't perform its culture for tourists. It hands you a costume and pulls you into the crowd.
Days of culture,
dance & rhythm
Carnival Events: Queen's Coronation to Joselito
Memories you'll
carry for life
06
08
♾️
~ The Festival ~
Colombia's
Greatest
Carnival
Celebration
Carnaval de Barranquilla has run every year since 1903, when the city chose flowers over weapons to mark the end of a civil war, and it's been growing louder ever since. Declared a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003, it now draws close to two million people into four official days of parades, plus a full week of pre-carnival street parties, coronations, and orchestra battles that lead up to it. Folkloric characters like the Marimonda, the Garabato, and the Hombre Caimán have paraded these same streets for generations. When you're standing in that crowd, foam in the air and a cumbia drumline passing three feet away, you understand exactly why Barranquilla calls this "the party of a lifetime, four days long."
Verbenas in the barrios. Champeta blasting from a corner speaker at 2am. The Congo groups, the Torito, the Negrita Puloy: costumed characters most tourists never learn the names of. This is the Carnival that lives in the neighbourhoods, not the grandstands, and it's where the realest nights happen.
The Barranqillla only locals know
Held the night before the Battle of Flowers, the Guacherna is Barranquilla's own creation, a candlelit evening procession of cumbia groups, torch-bearers, and traditional dance troupes winding through the streets. It's smaller, closer, and arguably more magical than the daytime parades: this is Carnival at its most intimate.
Guacherna
The parade that officially opens Carnival, running since 1903 down the Cumbiódromo on Vía 40. Monumental flower-covered floats, folkloric groups, and the Carnival Queen herself move past thousands of spectators in premium seating. It is the single most iconic image of Colombian carnival, and you'll have a front-row seat.
Batalla De Flores
Wear the costume.
Join the comparsa.
There are two ways to experience Barranquilla Carnival: watching it go by, or being part of what goes by. On Saturday, February 6, you're not going to be a spectator behind a barricade. You're going to be inside the Batalla de Flores itself, marching with an official comparsa down the full length of the Cumbiodromo on Via 40.
Here's how it works.
We'll get you to the preparation area before the parade gates open, where you'll sit in on a briefing covering the history, the characters, and the meaning behind the comparsas. Then comes the part you'll be telling stories about for years: you're handed your own costume, and local dancers teach you the steps and the parade protocol, the same routines and rhythm the group has rehearsed for months.
When the gates open on Carrera 54, you walk in as one of the crew. Four kilometres of Via 40, lined with monumental floats, live orchestras on rolling stages, hundreds of fellow dancers, and a crowd stretching as far as you can see, all building toward the same explosion of colour, music, and foam that has defined this parade since 1903.
You won't just watch the Battle of Flowers. You'll be one of the flowers.
Full comparsa costume included:
-
Pre-parade briefing on Carnival history and comparsa traditions
-
On-site dance and parade-protocol lesson with local performers
-
Full route down the Via 40 Cumbiodromo as part of an official comparsa
~ Your Journey ~
Please note: while the itinerary may be subject to change, we promise to always deliver the same level of experience, quality, and magic. Any adjustments will be replaced with equally incredible activities that honour the spirit of this trip.
Cumbia
~ Join Us ~
Barranquilla Carnival '27 - Experience
2,200
Welcome Dinner
City Tour & Museo del Carnaval
Costume & Tickets to Batalla de Flores
Tickets to Gran Parada de Tradición y Folclor
Tickets to Gran Parada de Comparsas
Access to Festival de Orquestas
Guacherna Experience
Group Cumbia/Mapalé Class
Farewell Dinner
~ Accomodation & Transproration Booking~
* HOTEL & TRANSPORTATION ARE AVAILABLE UNDER OUR Certified TICO Agent Partner # (under Fora Travel TICO Registration No. 50027942).
WE DO HAVE ACCOMMODATIONS, BUT TO REMAIN COMPLIANT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO, ALL PAYMENTS AND BOOKINGS OF THIS PORTION OF THE TOUR WILL BE BOOKED THROUGH OUR TEAM OF TRAVEL AGENTS (AND CO-FOUNDER/PARTNER OF VIVE LA SALSA TOURS)
ACCOMMODATIONS & TRANSPORTATION ARE AN ADDITIONAL
$550
(rates are not guaranteed, depending on supply and availability)
About the Hotel:
Hotel American Golf
Colombian-Owned, Full-Service Comfort
You'll be staying at Hotel American Golf, a well-established 3.5-star property in Alto Prado, one of Barranquilla's most central and residential neighbourhoods, close to the city's main shopping and commercial districts. Guests consistently rate the location and hospitality highly (8.2/10, "Very Good"), with a daily manager's reception adding a warm, personal touch to every stay.
Your Room
Room with four individual beds: Included in the Base Package. Four travellers per room, air-conditioned, with satellite TV and a work desk.
Hotel Amenities
-
Full breakfast included daily
-
Outdoor pool and children's pool
-
On-site à la carte restaurant plus continental buffet breakfast
-
Spa services, massage, and sauna
-
Fitness centre
-
Complimentary WiFi throughout the property
-
24-hour room service and front desk
-
Air conditioning in all rooms
-
Free parking
-
Located roughly 45 minutes from Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ)
HOLA
~ What's not Included ~
-
Flights from or to your location
-
Travellers' insurance — highly recommended for all travellers to ensure coverage in case of medical or travel emergencies during the trip
-
Extra spending money for personal shopping and souvenirs
-
Dinners not listed in the itinerary
-
Visa fees, if applicable to your country of residence