Which country hosts the Carnival of Barranquilla?

The Carnival of Barranquilla is hosted by Colombia. It is centred in Barranquilla, a Caribbean port city whose streets fill with parades, music, dance and elaborate costumes before Lent.

The celebration draws on Spanish, African and Indigenous cultural traditions. Cumbia, porro, mapalé, garabato and Congo dances are among its characteristic forms, while colourful figures such as marimondas and monocucos appear in the processions. The four-day festival begins on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday.

Major events include the Battle of the Flowers, the Great Parade and the Festival of Orchestras. The carnival is sometimes mistaken for Brazil’s better-known celebrations, but its musical traditions and characters are distinctly Colombian and strongly connected to the country’s Caribbean coast. UNESCO recognised it in 2003 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.