Festivals

January

Blacks and Whites Carnival

Locals paint their faces black one day and white the next. These are the two principal days of the Blacks and Whites Carnival, which since 2009 is part of UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage. The celebrations, which take place from the 2nd to the 7th of January, are famous for giant figures made by local artisans walking through the streets of the city.

Pasto/Nariño

January/2025

Riosucio’s Carnival

Riosucio’s principal attraction is the Riosucio’s Carnival, also known as the Carnival of the Devil, that takes place every two years (in odd-numbered years) in early January. It is one of the best known and most popular carnivals in Colombia

Riosucio/Caldas

February

Barranquilla’s Carnival

The Barranquilla’s Carnival, held in the first quarter of every year, a few days before Ash Wednesday, is the best party in Colombia. The pre-carnival starts in mid-January with a series of street celebrations including dances, processions, and parades. The festivities attract about 500 folk groups, international artists, and just about everyone in Barranquilla.

Barranquilla/Atlantico

April/May

Vallenato Legend Festival

The Vallenato Legend Festival is a folk festival in Valledupar that has brought together the greatest composers and interpreters of the vallenato musical genre since 1968. The main event of the contest is a competition between male and female accordion players of all ages to be recognized as King and Queen. This award denotes the best exponents of this folklore.

Vallenato is a Colombian music genre that represents the folklore of the Colombian Caribbean Coast. Its popularity reaches far beyond national territory, even reaching as far as countries like Panama, Ecuador, and Mexico. One of the most prominent characteristics of the vallenato is that it is played with three instruments that do not need any kind of amplification: the snare drum and the guacharaca on the percussion side, and the accordion which plays the melody.

Valledupar/Cesar

August

Pacific Music Festival «Petronio Alvarez»

The Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival is the most important Afro-Colombian culture festival in Latin America. In its 23 years of existence, it has positioned itself as a meeting place where the Afro-Colombian heritage and its different manifestations are the protagonists for six days.

Cali/Valle del Cauca

September -October

The Festivities of San Pacho

The festivities of San Pacho are enjoyed between the religious and the pagan, they are the living sample of the tradition of our Colombian-African population.

Quibdó/Chocó

August

International Joropo Contest

Each and every year, Villavicencio is home to the International Joropo Contest, which has taken place every year since 1960, and typically draws a crowd of around 500,000 persons. During the contest, which takes place in July, there are equestrian shows, cavalcades, and the crowing of the international champion of joropo. The International Joropo Contest is held in a vast open-air stadium and features the dancing of about 3000 couples.

Villavicencio/Meta

November

Las Cuadrillas de San Martín

In the municipality of San Martín one of the oldest and most important festivals of the department is celebrated: Las Cuadrillas de San Martín, declared cultural heritage of the nation. In this festival you can witness musical events that include joropo and coleo among other activities full of party and joy.

San Martín/Meta

February

Carnival of Forgiveness

One especially important event is the Carnival of the Return of the First People, which is both a fun event and key celebration of local mythology.

This carnival, also known as Bëtscnate, in the Katmëntsá people, and Kalusturinda, in the Inga community, unites these two peoples around forgiveness and the search for peace, patience, respect and love.

Sibundoy/Putumayo

November

The Golden Pirarucú

«The Golden Pirarucú». We will travel through the Amazonian trapeze, through Leticia and Puerto Nariño to experience the music, gastronomy and handicrafts of a place that has no borders and that gathers the indigenous roots of three countries: Peru, Brazil and Colombia. In addition to experiencing a festival that safeguards the culture of the native peoples, we will also give prominence to the fauna: pink dolphins, black and painted jaguars, parrots and fish emblematic of the great Amazon River.

Leticia/Amazonas