The Colombian Christmas holiday period - running from roughly December 16 through January 2 - is the most expensive, most crowded, and most spectacular time to visit the country. The dry season has settled across the Andes and Caribbean coast, the cities are transformed by decorations and lights, and the cultural warmth that Colombia is known for is amplified by a collective celebration that is impossible to miss.
If you’re planning to visit, here is what you need to know about how the country operates during the holidays, where to go, and how to book.
The Colombian Christmas Calendar
The holiday period has a distinctive rhythm that differs from most other countries:
December 7 - Día de las Velitas (Candles Night) The start of the festive season in Colombia. Families place candles and paper lanterns outside their homes, and the streets take on a warm glow. This is technically a regional tradition that is strongest in Antioquia (Medellin’s department) and has spread nationally over the decades. In Medellin, it coincides with the opening of the Alumbrado Navideño.
December 16 to 24 - Las Novenas Nine evenings of song, prayer, and food shared with neighbours. The novena is a distinctively Colombian tradition: households host a gathering each evening where guests sing villancicos (Christmas carols) and eat traditional foods including natillas (a thick custard dessert) and buñuelos (fried cheese fritters). Visitors who are lucky enough to be invited to a private novena often describe it as one of their most memorable experiences in Colombia.
December 24 - Nochebuena Christmas Eve is the main event. Colombian families gather for a large dinner, which typically includes tamales, lechona (roast pork), rice, and regional dishes. Fireworks - legal in Colombia and enthusiastically used - light up cities and towns at midnight. Cartagena’s old town and Medellin’s hillside communities both put on spectacular unofficial fireworks displays at midnight.
December 25 - Christmas Day Quieter than Nochebuena. Most Colombians spend the day with family. Tourist areas remain operational, but the city pace slows. This is a good day for day trips, beach time, or exploring city sites with slightly smaller crowds.
December 25 to January 2 - Feria de Cali While the rest of the country winds down after Christmas, Cali ignites. The Feria de Cali is the world’s largest salsa festival - eight consecutive nights of concerts, parades, and dancing that overlap with New Year’s Eve and run through January 2.
December 31 - New Year’s Eve Celebrated with enormous energy across all major cities. Medellin’s Alumbrado reaches its peak. Cartagena’s old town fills with street parties. Bogota’s northern zone hosts large public events.
January 6 - Día de Reyes (Epiphany) The traditional end of the Colombian Christmas season. Children in some regions receive a second round of gifts. Less commercially significant than in Spain or Mexico, but still marked in many households.
Where to Go
Cartagena is the most popular destination for foreign visitors over Christmas - warm, beautiful, and celebratory. The old town is at its most atmospheric, and the beach options at Bocagrande and Baru are ideal in December’s dry conditions. Book early: hotels in Cartagena fill well before December, and peak pricing applies from December 20 to January 2. Tours in Cartagena should also be pre-booked if you want guaranteed spots on the most popular options.
Medellin offers the Alumbrado Navideño plus the city’s excellent year-round food and nightlife scene. The temperature is perfect for walking - dry days of 25°C to 28°C, with cool evenings around 16°C. Hotels in Medellin are more available than Cartagena, but El Poblado properties still book up fast. The Medellin Christmas lights guide has full detail on the Alumbrado.
Cali for the Feria experience. The festival runs December 25 to January 2, making a 7-night trip that starts on Christmas Day possible. The overlap of Nochebuena celebrations with the start of the Feria creates one of the most intense festive periods in the country. Hotels in Cali during the Feria are the hardest to secure - book by October.
Santa Marta and Tayrona for beach-and-jungle over the holiday week. The Caribbean coast is dry in December, and a Christmas trip combining Santa Marta with a Tayrona National Park permit creates a compelling itinerary. Tayrona requires advance booking through the national parks system (book directly with Parques Nacionales de Colombia) - permits sell out in October for December.
Bogota for a city Christmas with full museum access and cultural events. The city is cooler than the coasts but has excellent infrastructure, the widest flight connections, and a thriving food scene that runs uninterrupted through the holidays.
Practical Notes
Tayrona National Park closes for several days in December and February each year for ecological rest. Check the current closure dates on the Parques Nacionales de Colombia website before finalising a Tayrona trip around Christmas.
Flights are at their most expensive in December. The cheapest December fares are usually released in August to September. Flying on December 23 or arriving December 22 can sometimes save meaningful amounts compared to December 24 arrivals.
Local transport is heavily used during the holiday period. Domestic flights between major cities sell out for Christmas Eve and December 28-31. Book internal flights at the same time as your international booking.
Fireworks: Colombia has relatively permissive fireworks laws, and the noise level on the nights of December 7, 24, 31, and January 1 is significant - especially in residential neighbourhoods. This is part of the experience, but light sleepers should pack earplugs.
For a full breakdown of the weather, costs, and events across the entire month, see the Colombia in December guide.
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