Every January, Cartagena de Indias – World Heritage Site – becomes the setting for one of the most important cultural events in Latin America: the Cartagena Music Festival. For several days, the Walled City brings together national and international musicians, orchestras, and artists in a program that includes concerts, recitals, music in centuries-old churches, theaters, plazas, heritage hotels, and open spaces facing the Greater Colombian Caribbean. In this way, the city's historical and cultural spaces become protagonists of an experience in which music engages in dialogue with Cartagena's architecture, history, and identity. In this guide, you will discover what this Music Festival in Colombia is, what experiences it offers, how to enjoy its program, and what other attractions you can visit to make the most of your trip to Cartagena de Indias in the country of beauty.
What is the Cartagena Music Festival?
The Cartagena Music Festival is much more than a concert program. It is an experience that brings together cultural events, artistic excellence, tourism, education, thought, and contemporary creation, becoming a space where music engages in dialogue with history and Colombian culture.
Since its creation in 2007 by the Salvi Foundation, the Festival was born from a deep conviction: Colombia deserves a place among the world's great cultural destinations. For this reason, in addition to presenting international artists, the Festival has spent more than two decades showing the world how, in the country of beauty, tourists can experience a world-class artistic event where music and the culture of the Walled City come together.
What experiences can you enjoy at the Festival?
Declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation under Law 2340 of 2023, the Cartagena Music Festival invites you to explore the city from a different perspective. Each edition presents an artistic concept that turns you into the traveler of a story, where every concert is an opportunity to discover new sounds and connect with Colombia's cultural richness. The walls, churches, balconies, plazas, convents, museums, and streets of Cartagena become stages where music comes to life.
Attending the Cartagena Music Festival means experiencing a city that breathes culture. It means listening to an orchestra in a historic theater, enjoying a recital in a colonial chapel, participating in an artistic conversation in a literary house, or experiencing an open-air concert under Cartagena's sky. It also means enjoying music in cloisters, plazas, or museums. Thus, the venues are not just places where activities take place, but an essential part of an experience that connects music with the city's architecture, history, and identity.
In addition, every year, the Festival brings together internationally renowned musicians, orchestras, soloists, chamber ensembles, Colombian artists, young performers, and new generations of composers. Beyond gala concerts, you can enjoy free concerts, academic activities, educational programs, and interdisciplinary experiences that will connect you with music, literature, science, gastronomy, and history in an unforgettable experience.
You may also be interested in: Cartagena Classical Music Festival
Visit the 2027 edition of the Cartagena Music Festival
The dates for the 2017 edition of the Cartagena Music Festival are January 9 to 17. The Festival will celebrate its XXI edition under the title The Divine Proportion. Music in Perfect Balance and, on this occasion, will be under the artistic direction of Colombian producer and composer Julio Reyes Copello, winner of multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. In this edition, you will discover how music engages in dialogue with the heritage and creativity that are part of Colombia's cultural richness and expressions of Colombian music and dance.
The 2027 program will explore more deeply the relationship between beauty, proportion, art, and knowledge, inviting you to experience an event where music connects with different disciplines. Among its most notable offerings is the Casa Gabo Series, inspired by the literary universe of Gabriel García Márquez, as well as experiences dedicated to the relationship between music, the brain, and well-being, featuring internationally renowned pianist and researcher Dr. Rui Mei.
Experience the Music Festival and enjoy the Walled City
If you're wondering what to do in Cartagena, the Music Festival is the perfect starting point to discover the city's magic. During these days, you can explore the Walled City, the historic center of Cartagena de Indias, declared a World Heritage Site, while enjoying an international-level artistic program. Take the opportunity to visit iconic places such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Clock Tower, Plaza de los Coches, the Palace of the Inquisition, the Zenú Gold Museum, and Plaza de San Pedro Claver.
Make the Cartagena Music Festival the perfect excuse to keep exploring this destination. In addition to attending concerts and cultural activities, you can explore the city by bicycle, dance at its nightclubs, go diving or snorkeling in the Rosario Islands, enjoy ecotourism activities, and discover the landscapes that make Cartagena an unforgettable destination.
Before ending your trip, make time to discover the flavors of the cuisine of this region of the country. In Cartagena de Indias, you will find a wide variety of options to suit every taste. In addition to delighting in its culinary offerings, you will be amazed by the colonial facades of many of these places, which preserve the city's historic charm while housing modern and vibrant spaces.
