The good, bad and ugly sides to Barranquilla, Colombia – home to the world’s second-biggest carnival
- For four days each year, the port city awakes from its slumber to put on a spectacular street party
- More than 2 million people enjoy 96 hours of music, dance and ‘burning water’ – though beware: tipsy tourists make good targets for pickpockets
The Good
For 361 days of the year, nothing much happens in Barranquilla, an unremarkable port city situated at the mouth of Colombia’s principal river, the Magdalena. Then, for 96 hours starting on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, more than 2.3 million people line the streets to dance, drink and cheer on an estimated 1.6 million performers taking part in the world’s second biggest carnival, after that in Rio.
The economic impact is significant – according to some estimates, the annual pageant generates upwards of 32,000 jobs, directly and indirectly. In 2003, Unesco added the Barranquilla Carnival to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (a roll-call that includes Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau Bun Festival and Cantonese Opera), as an example of a traditional cultural expression that merits protection.
With its slogan, Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza, or “those who live it are those who enjoy it”, South America’s other carnival – which this year runs from Saturday, March 2 to Tuesday, March 5 – has been celebrated in various forms for more than three centuries. Despite its origins as a Christian tradition, the four-day festival showcases a fusion of European, African and indigenous folklore rooted in music and dance. Sound systems are cranked up to 11 and streets fill with face-painted, bikini-clad Barranquilleros gyrating, belly dancing and generally showing off (it’s no surprise that Hips Don’t Lie singer Shakira is a native of the city). Dances steeped in mythology such as the danza de congos, and the cumbia, which evolved as a courtship ritual, date back to colonial times, when enslaved Africans were first brought to the continent.
The carnival brings the city to a standstill and space on the busy streets is limited. Fortunately, private seating areas, or palcos, line the parade route. Tickets are reasonably priced, the views unobstructed and spectators are less likely to find themselves or their cameras covered in flour, foam or aguardiente, Colombia’s national liqueur.
The aniseed-flavoured tipple derives its name from the Spanish agua, meaning water, and ardiente, which translates as burning. Any attempt to go drink-for-drink with locals is sure to end badly – don’t say you weren’t warned.