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Barranquilla Carnival 2027: Dates, Parades and Tickets

Last verified Oct 27, 2026 8 min read Living in Barranquilla

On this page
  1. When is Barranquilla Carnival 2027?
  2. What is the Barranquilla Carnival 2027 schedule?
  3. When is the Guacherna 2027?
  4. Where are the Barranquilla Carnival 2027 parades?
  5. How do you buy Barranquilla Carnival 2027 tickets and palcos?
  6. Is Barranquilla Carnival safe?
  7. Is Barranquilla Carnival a UNESCO heritage event?
  8. Who organizes the carnival, and how do you contact them?
  9. What we couldn't confirm
  10. Sources (all read Oct 27, 2026)

General information.

Short answer (checked Oct 27, 2026): Barranquilla Carnival 2027 runs from Saturday, Feb 6 to Tuesday, Feb 9, 2027, according to the organizer, Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. The season opens earlier, on Saturday, Jan 16, 2027, with the Lectura del Bando, and the Batalla de Flores parade is on Saturday, Feb 6. Official 2027 ticket prices and the parade route hadn't been published on the organizer's site when we checked. Sources: Carnaval de Barranquilla, Carnaval 2027; Carnaval de Barranquilla, Sept 13, 2026.

When is Barranquilla Carnival 2027?

The four main days are Feb 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2027 (Saturday to Tuesday). The organizer's 2027 page says the city starts getting ready in January with events that lead up to those four days.1

The full season runs from Jan 16 to Feb 9, 2027. Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. announced it on Sept 13, 2026, when the 2027 king and queen were presented at the Gran Malecón, and said the agenda starts on Jan 16 with the Lectura del Bando.2

Carnival always takes the four days before Ash Wednesday. UNESCO describes it as held "every year during the four days before Lent."3 In 2027 that puts it in early February, a week earlier than the Feb 14 to 17 dates of 2026.4

Dates last checked Oct 27, 2026 on carnavaldebarranquilla.org. If the official page says something different, the official page is right.

What is the Barranquilla Carnival 2027 schedule?

The four main carnival days are Feb 6 to 9, 2027. The season opens Jan 16 with the Lectura del Bando. Rows marked Official come from Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S.; rows marked Press report come from El Heraldo quoting the organizer's director (Aug 31, 2026) and were not yet on the organizer's own 2027 page when we checked. Details and sources are in the table below.

Date (2027)EventStatus
Sat, Jan 16Lectura del Bando (the queen gets the symbolic keys to the city and opens the season)Official2
Sun, Jan 17Bando and coronation of the Children's Carnival king and queenPress report5
Fri, Jan 29Noche de Guacherna (night parade with lanterns)Press report5
Sun, Jan 31Children's Carnival paradePress report5
Fri, Feb 5Coronation of the Carnival queenPress report5
Sat, Feb 6Batalla de Flores, the parade that opens the four daysOfficial1
Sun, Feb 7Gran Parada de Tradición (folk dance groups)Official1
Mon, Feb 8Gran Parada (El Heraldo calls it Gran Parada de Fantasía; the organizer's page lists a Gran Parada de Comparsas without a date)Press report5
Tue, Feb 9Martes de Carnaval: the burial of Joselito Carnaval closes the partyOfficial date, marked "a confirmar"1

"Press report" rows come from El Heraldo, which got the dates from the director of Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. on Aug 31, 2026. The organizer's own site hadn't posted them as of Oct 27, 2026.

The organizer also lists Baila la Calle, four nights of open-air dancing on Carrera 50 with salsa, vallenato, DJs and picós, without 2027 dates.1

When is the Guacherna 2027?

Friday, Jan 29, 2027, according to the director of Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. speaking to El Heraldo on Aug 31, 2026.5 The organizer's 2027 page describes the Guacherna as a night parade of lanterns, costumes and comparsas but doesn't give the date yet.1

Guacherna dates move. For 2026 it was first announced for a Saturday and then moved back to its traditional Friday.6 Confirm the 2027 date before you book a short trip around it.

Where are the Barranquilla Carnival 2027 parades?

Not confirmed yet. In 2026 the Batalla de Flores and the Sunday and Monday parades ran along the Vía 40, between Calle 80 and Calle 58, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday and Monday.7

For 2027 the organizer is weighing the Malecón del Río. El Heraldo reported on Aug 31, 2026 that the plan to hold the Batalla de Flores and the main parades on the Malecón "se mantiene en firme."5 The organizer's 2027 page names no route. Wait for the official route before you book a hotel for its location.

How do you buy Barranquilla Carnival 2027 tickets and palcos?

Official 2027 sales hadn't opened on the organizer's site when we checked on Oct 27, 2026, and no 2027 prices were posted.

For 2026, Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. sold tickets through TuBoleta, starting Aug 8, 2025, for Baila la Calle, the Guacherna and the palcos (grandstand boxes) on the Vía 40.6 The 2026 TuBoleta page gives an idea of prices:

2026 event (reference only)Price in COP (plus service fee)
Guacherna palco, presale (to Nov 30, 2025)136,000 + 13,0007
Guacherna palco, full price (from Dec 1, 2025)200,800 + 19,2007
Baila la Calle, general entry27,300 + 2,700 (first presale) to 40,000 + 5,000 (full price)7
Lectura del Bando, VIP chairs, presale82,100 + 7,9007

TuBoleta's 2026 rules for the Vía 40 palcos: minimum age 7, every child needs a ticket, and no food or drinks inside the palcos.7

Buy only through the channel the organizer names on carnavaldebarranquilla.org once 2027 sales open. We haven't confirmed which ticketer it will use for 2027.

Is Barranquilla Carnival safe?

No US, Canadian or UK advisory we read names the carnival. Barranquilla and Atlántico aren't on Canada's avoid lists, and Canada rates Colombia as a whole "exercise a high degree of caution" because of crime. (travel.gc.ca, last updated Oct 14, 2026)

Canada's advice for big crowds applies here:

  • Be "particularly vigilant" during public celebrations and civic holidays.
  • Pickpocketing and phone snatching are common across Colombia, including drive-by snatching from motorcycles.
  • Use taxis booked through your hotel or a ride-hailing app rather than hailing one on the street.
  • Don't accept drinks, snacks or cigarettes from strangers (scopolamine drugging).

Source: travel.gc.ca, read Oct 27, 2026.

What the US and UK say about Barranquilla, plus consular phone numbers, is on our page Is Barranquilla safe?.

Is Barranquilla Carnival a UNESCO heritage event?

Yes. UNESCO proclaimed the Carnival of Barranquilla a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003 and inscribed it on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. UNESCO lists its dances (the congo, the paloteo, the mico y micas) and music (cumbia, puya, porro).3 The organizer adds that Colombia declared it Cultural Heritage of the Nation.1

Who organizes the carnival, and how do you contact them?

Carnaval de Barranquilla S.A.S. runs it with the Alcaldía de Barranquilla under a public-private model. Its office is the Casa del Carnaval, Carrera 54 No. 49B-39, Barranquilla; phone (605) 385 35 24.1

If you are flying in from abroad, check Colombia entry requirements first.

What we couldn't confirm

  • 2027 ticket prices, sale dates and ticketer. Not posted by the organizer as of Oct 27, 2026. Prices above are 2026 figures.
  • 2027 parade route (Vía 40 or Malecón del Río) and start times.
  • Guacherna, Children's Carnival and queen's coronation dates. From El Heraldo quoting the organizer's director (Aug 31, 2026), not from an official page.
  • The Monday, Feb 8 parade name (Gran Parada de Fantasía per El Heraldo; Gran Parada de Comparsas on the organizer's page, no date).
  • Alcaldía de Barranquilla pages. barranquilla.gov.co blocked our requests on Oct 27, 2026, so we couldn't read its carnival agenda directly.
  • Whether Carnival Monday or Tuesday is a day off in Barranquilla. No official decree found for 2027.
  • Hotel prices during carnival. No official source.

Sources (all read Oct 27, 2026)

Sources

  1. Carnaval de Barranquilla, Carnaval 2027carnavaldebarranquilla.org/carnaval-de-barranquilla-2027/
  2. Carnaval de Barranquilla, Sept 13, 2026carnavaldebarranquilla.org/empezo-la-fiesta-barranquilla-recibio-a-los-reyes-del-carnaval-2027-en-el-gran-malecon/
  3. UNESCOich.unesco.org/en/RL/carnival-of-barranquilla-00051
  4. Carnaval de Barranquilla, plan 2026carnavaldebarranquilla.org/carnaval-de-barranquilla-presenta-ante-el-concejo-distrital-el-plan-del-carnaval-2026/
  5. El Heraldo, Aug 31, 2026www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/2026/08/31/sabado-16-de-enero-sera-la-lectura-del-bando-el-carnaval-arranca-en-159-dias/
  6. El Heraldo, Aug 7, 2025www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/2025/08/07/este-viernes-8-de-agosto-inicia-la-venta-de-boletas-para-el-carnaval-de-barranquilla-2026/
  7. TuBoleta, Carnaval 2026web.tuboleta.com/images/Eventos/Carnaval-de-barranquilla-2026/home.html
  8. carnavaldebarranquilla.orgcarnavaldebarranquilla.org/
  9. travel.gc.catravel.gc.ca/destinations/colombia