What’s Caribbean, Colombian and queer all over? If you guessed Cartagena, you’re just 136 kilometres off. There’s another coastal hub with just as much stunning architecture but only a fraction of the feeling of being hustled. Barranquilla, Colombia’s fourth-largest city, is a foodie haven and cultural powerhouse located just two and a half hours east of Cartagena. Shakira’s very gay hometown also puts on one of South America’s gayest carnivals celebrations—yes, up there with Rio’s.
Barranqueera realness
Rio’s Carnaval gets all the international fame, but Barranquilla’s festival is the second largest in the world. The city also hosts a designated day-long “Gay Carnaval,” making Barranquilla’s celebration even more explicitly queer than its Brazilian counterpart.
A major port and shipping hub (hello, sailors!) with a metro population of 2.3 million, Barranquilla is known as the “Golden Gate of Colombia.” The result is a cosmopolitan culture, which is reflected in the carnival’s blend of Caribbean rhythms and ancient Roman carnival traditions. For more on the event’s history, you can check out the Carnaval Museum (Cra. 54 #49B-39, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla), which has a stunning collection of carnival queen dresses. Yet nothing beats visiting Barranquilla during the actual event in February. Carnival dates change annually according to Christian Easter celebrations; the next one is February 14 to 17, 2026. During the four-day city-wide party, you can salsa with drag queens, devour arepas at the sunny, family-style restaurants like La Casa de Doris (Cra. 45 #60-14, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla) and join afterparties all around the city.
Beyond carnival season Barranquilla knows how to party. Its main LGBTQ+ venues are clustered a few blocks near Estadio Olímpico Romelio Martínez. Patio Barranquilla (Cra. 49 #72-155, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla) is an LGBTQ+ indoor-outdoor space that curates an intimate, low-pressure vibe and a diverse, all-gender crowd. They know how to throw a themed party. They’re attached to Thai-themed Phuket, which has a high-energy atmosphere that caters to both dancing queens and alternative night creatures alike—as long as they love to perreo.
Lives Megaclub (Cra. 53 #70191, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla) is a much bigger show-driven venue, offering a more off-the-rack gay clubbing experience, with a rowdier and more international crowd—and lots of shirtless male patrons and performers. They enjoy a good theme party, too.
For sexy fun for guys, which doesn’t involve dancing, there’s the bathhouse Dark Barranquilla (Av. 20 de Julio #35#35, Nte. Centro Histórico, Barranquilla). Get yourself a locker and see what mysterious strangers are there in the dark.
Colombian couture
Barranquilla is not simply all about perreo, reggaeton, salsa, cumbia, champeta, pop and buying rounds for the table. It’s also a place to dive deeper into Colombian culture. Unlike its Caribbean sibling cities, Cartagena and Santa Marta, Barranquilla was never planned as a Spanish colony. Its architecture and art radiate a more purely Colombian energy. In the El Prado neighbourhood, you’ll find a host of “republican” style buildings that eschew colonial balconies for Belle-Époque colonnades. At the Bar Restaurante La Cueva (Av. 20 de Julio #59-03, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla), patrons dine face-to-face with history: It was once a haunt of writer Gabriel García Márquez. The late author’s modern classic, One Hundred Years of Solitude, now a Netflix series, is set in a fictional town based on his own hometown, Aracataca, which is not far from Barranquilla. La Cueva, which is tied to a foundation that promotes Colombian culture, contains artifacts and art that speak of García Márquez’s days in Barranquilla—plus, the cocktails are works of art. It’s also a great place to catch a show.
At Museo Romántico (Cra. 54 #59-199, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla), a celebration of local art and culture hosted in a beautiful mansion, docents regale you with stories of Barranquilla’s past and present triumphs.
Beyond the museums, visitors can experience the city’s history by hopping into an old-timey horse-drawn cart for a spin around the Centro Historico. One stop is essential: the waterfront statue of Shakira (Av. del Rio, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla). Inaugurated in 2023, and capturing Shakira in a hip-swivelling pose from her “Hips Don’t Lie” video, it’s the second-largest statue of a pop icon in the world after the Marilyn statue in Palm Springs. Shakira is not the only globally famous person from Barranquilla. Actor Sofia Vergara, of Modern Family and Griselda fame, was born here. The city is planning to erect a waterfront statue of her, too.
Foodie paradise
Barranquilla is quietly making a bid for Colombia culinary dominance. With the country’s largest Arab population, it’s already known for its Lebanese cuisine (get the kibbeh at Sarab, Cra. 52 # 85-51, Riomar, Barranquilla). But Barranquilla is also an excellent epicentre of comida costeña (coastal cuisine). For traditional carimañolas (meat pies) and déditos (fried cheese sticks), check out Narcobollo (Av. 20 de Julio #84-188, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla).
For more elevated cuisine, try the elegant Miura Steak House (Cra. 52 #76-188 Local 7, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla) or, for Greek, the serene Helena (Cra. 55 #74-2, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla), which is also known to play ABBA on repeat for hours.
For a sweet and filling brunch, Mimi (Cra. 58 #84-1, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla) has a bright, cheerful dining room where you can flirt with the city’s hottest waiters. For traditional Barranquilla fast food, there’s the Colombian-sized (read: massive) hot dog at Dónde Está Javier (Cra. 52 # 84 – 30, Riomar, Barranquilla).
Crashing for the night
Barranquilla has no shortage of jaw-dropping options. Hotel El Prado (Cra. 54 #70-10, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla), billed as Latin America’s first touristic hotel, exudes old-world charm in the city centre. They host a lot of weddings, including same-gender ones.
The well-rated Hotel Boutique M (Cra. 52 #92-111, Riomar, Barranquilla) has friendly staff and an artsy style in the swanky Riomar district.
Hotel Faranda Express Puerta del Sol (Cl. 75 #41D – 79, Las Mercedes, Barranquilla) is a strategically placed waypoint that’s practical for those who love both the beach and the nightlife.
Yes, there’s even a beach
For a beach vacation, you could go to Cartagena. Influencers seem to love it, after all. But those influencers are sometimes given access to private beaches that us reggos can’t afford. Cartagena’s main city beach is replete with scammers and the scent of motor oil, so visitors need to take a boat ride to offshore islands to truly get a relaxing Caribbean beach getaway. Barranquilla, on the other hand, has cabana-laden tropical retreats just 30 minutes from the city. You can take an Uber to the soft sands of the Villa Alcatraz beach in Puerto Colombia, dine at the former castle of Castillo de Salgar (Cl. 9 #1316, Salgar, Puerto Colombia) or book a night at Hotel Pradomar (Cl. 2 #22-61 Pradomar, Puerto Colombia) and let the ocean views wash over you.
That said, the Magdalena River, which hugs Barranquilla proper, is nothing to sniff at. Whether you’re traversing it via river cruise or simply enjoying cocktails along the water, you’ll begin to understand how Barranquilla has inspired poets and artists for centuries.
So here’s the tea: Barranquilla is not just a stop along the queer South American party circuit. It’s also part of Colombia’s cultural heritage, including—perhaps especially because of—a giant bronze Shakira.
