Where We Be
| The queen's retinue. The queen is pretty much a celebrity throughout the year of her reign. |
| Barranquilla's reigning Queen of Carnival 2020 |
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| Robin already has a little flour on her cheek and it's only the first fifteen minutes of Carnival! |
| Carnival Day 1 -- Barranquilla, Colombia |
| This is a parody of the Colombian president and first lady. Look at the expressions of the Colombians in the crowd! |
| The Colombian Muhammad Ali? |
| Wild costumes! |
| Dracula with marching band? |
| Foam is another feature of Carnival |
| Female cops standing on motorcycles -- why not? |
| Great music throughout! |
| Miss Colombia, Mrs. Colombia, Young Miss Colombia -- there were lots of reasons to celebrate |
| Floats are a big part of Day 1 of Carnival |
| That's more like it! |
| We quickly made friends with all the people around us. These Colombians really wanted us to have a good time. |
Flying from Medellin to Barranquilla we arrived
late Friday night just before Carnival. Or maybe
the party had already started -- that night there
was nonstop loud music culminating with huge
fireworks at 2 am. We barely got a wink of sleep.
Barranquilla has the second biggest Carnival in
the world after Rio so we knew we were in for a
party. When we got to the parade route around
noon the next day it was an absolute zoo. We
barely made it to our designated palco (shaded
bleacher). The crowd was boisterous on this
first day of Carnival, and the free beers on offer
at our palco did nothing to hurt the festivities.
As for the parade itself, there were loads of
dancers and bands and musical groups and
floats. The crowd knew all the songs and sang
them in unison. They also danced up a storm
right on the bleachers. It was more participatory
than Mardi Gras or any other party we’ve been
to. We quickly made friends with our neighbors
on all sides. The music was earsplitting at times
but it's all part of the fiesta. if you go to just one
day of Carnival in Barranquilla, make it the first
day and you'll experience one hell of a party!
late Friday night just before Carnival. Or maybe
the party had already started -- that night there
was nonstop loud music culminating with huge
fireworks at 2 am. We barely got a wink of sleep.
Barranquilla has the second biggest Carnival in
the world after Rio so we knew we were in for a
party. When we got to the parade route around
noon the next day it was an absolute zoo. We
barely made it to our designated palco (shaded
bleacher). The crowd was boisterous on this
first day of Carnival, and the free beers on offer
at our palco did nothing to hurt the festivities.
As for the parade itself, there were loads of
dancers and bands and musical groups and
floats. The crowd knew all the songs and sang
them in unison. They also danced up a storm
right on the bleachers. It was more participatory
than Mardi Gras or any other party we’ve been
to. We quickly made friends with our neighbors
on all sides. The music was earsplitting at times
but it's all part of the fiesta. if you go to just one
day of Carnival in Barranquilla, make it the first
day and you'll experience one hell of a party!
| Just taking it all in! |
| We didn't get foamed, only floured! |
| Watching the crowd around us was half the fun! |
| We'll let the rest of the Carnival pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy! |