Hotels in the northern Colombian city of Barranquilla have filled up
completely for the four days of its annual carnaval. The city will be
the center of Colombia until Tuesday.
The pre-carnavals started weeks ago already, the preparations for the highlight of the city’s culture way before, but Saturday until Tuesday is the Big Carnaval. The streets will be filled with dressed up people dancing cumbia.
The official start is the traditional Battle of the Flowers, a parade of more than 400 traditional dance groups showing their art on Vía 40, popularly renamed Cumbiódrome.
Large metal constructions on the side of the road should give the tens of thousands of visitors a chance to see the beauty passing by.
Barranquilla authorities have 1,500 police officers ready to secure the safety of those visiting the carnaval and 450,000 condoms will be given away for free to those who want to take the carnaval back home or to their hotel.