If you want to know everything about Barranquilla‘s carnival, its traditions and costumes, a visit to the Carnival Museum should not be missed during a trip to Barranquilla.

Barranquilla’s carnival is Colombia’s largest cultural and folkloric festival and has been designated a cultural heritage site. To preserve the atmosphere of the carnival 365 days a year, the Museo del Carnaval de Barranquilla was built in 2019. The carnival museum is located in the traditional neighborhood of Barrio Abajo (near El Prado), in the heart of Barranquilla.

The Carnival Museum is modern and interactive and consists of 4 different exhibits. There is a certain route to follow and it starts in the Sala Carnavales del Mundo.

Here you will take a journey through carnival celebrations in 16 different countries and find information about the rituals of Barranquilla’s carnival.

In this hall you can see masks, musical instruments and other attributes of the carnival.

After this, walk to the Sala de las Reinas, on the second floor.

On display here are the beautiful dresses of some 40 carnival queens crowned between 1918 and 2019.

The Sala Expresiones del Carnaval de Barranquilla is all about the expressions of carnival in music, dance and costumes.

A video is played of the carnival parade, where, as a visitor, you feel as if you have entered the audience.

Videos of authentic dances, such as the infectious Mapalé , and a traditional Quillero (old-fashioned record player) are on display.

One of the typical costumes of the carnival in Barranquilla, is the Marimonda.

This expression is very well known in Barranquilla:
“ It’s not so much about the Marimonda costume, but the jumps you have to make” .

Marimonda is a popular name on the Caribbean coast for a monkey, jumping is part of the deal when you wear the Marimonda costume!

The story goes that a man from Barranquilla did not have enough money to buy his costume so he got the idea of wearing a jacket with a tie and an old pair of pants that he wore backwards. Part of the costume was a mask that he made from a bag with 3 holes. This is how the Marimonda costume is outstaan. The mask has a long nose and the “pea pea,” a whistle with a funny sound.

Finally, you will enter the Sala Batalla de Flores, with photographs and objects from the main parade of Barranquilla’s carnival, the batalla de flores.

During this parade with colorful floats and-not to mention-the queen of the carnival, there is lots of live music and folk dancing.