Waking up one morning from loud music, cheers and noise, as if a train is going under your windows, you will be completely immersed in the carnival life of Barranquilla. The city began to celebrate one of the two most famous carnivals in the country – El Joselito Carnaval.

El Joselito is Colombia in all its glory, in all its culture, history, and traditions. It may seem like you are going crazy. There are strange, shouting, singing, dancing people with painted faces and feathers on their waists. Relax, join them, and get ready to enjoy the biggest party in Colombia for four days in a row.

Some historians believe that El Joselito is a little more than a century old, while others believe that the festival is more than three centuries old. Nevertheless, every year the holiday became more interesting, more colorful, more musical, and brighter. It appeared in South America thanks to the Spaniards. Later, the holiday got the color of African slaves, who were allowed to rest one day a year.

You can see Colombian folklore, folk dances, colorful traditional costumes, songs, and theater. One of the features of the carnival is the performance of the Letanías, a group in which the soloist and the choir sing ditties. All this colorful and crazy madness continues for four days. And if just watching gets boring at some point, you can join the procession.

The carnival is not just a procession of mummers and dancing people along the city streets. There are many paid and free activities. For example, the choice of the Carnival Queen or the burial of the carnival. The farewell parade, by the way, takes place before the beginning of Lent. And the "end" of the carnival is celebrated with even more active dances and fireworks.

During El Joselito, you feel like a part of a grand event. People from different parts of the world, unfamiliar with each other until this moment, hug, joke, sing, and dance and at the same time explore the Colombian culture.