The Colombian community will come together in early 2026 for authentic Colombian dancing presentations, cultural enrichment and elaborate costumes to celebrate the \u201cCarnaval de Barranquilla\u201d \u2014 not only in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia, but also right here in the Tampa Bay area.<\/p>\n
This festival is organized by a non-profit called the Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla, which brings Colombia\u2019s world-famous cultural festival to Tampa each year. This local organization has strong ties to the original Barranquilla festival through Tampa\u2019s Sister Cities program.<\/p>\n
The main event will be on Saturday, Jan. 17, at a Colombian venue called Casa 21 in Tampa, starting at 5 p.m. The queen and the king of the Carnaval will be crowned. Both a Colombian singer from Barranquilla, Paula Sophia, and a Colombian DJ from Barranquilla will be featured.<\/p>\n
A $20 donation is requested via online registration ahead of time; a $25 donation at the door. Money raised will go to support local Colombian cultural enrichment as well as five different nonprofits in Barranquilla, Colombia, including charities that provide poor children with shoes, clothes and school supplies.<\/p>\n
Complementing the \u201cCarnaval\u201d show and fundraiser, the Casa 21 venue will sell food and drinks \u2014 separate from the donations that go to the charities. Casa 21 is located at 4235 W. Waters Ave. in Tampa.<\/p>\n
A second event, which will be a smaller celebration outdoors with approximately 200 people who appreciate Colombian culture, will be on Jan. 30 at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor.<\/p>\n
An enduring legacy<\/p>\n
Patsy Morlando, the founder, organizer and leader of Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla, said, \u201cWe are keeping the spirit of Colombia\u2019s famous carnival alive and well in Florida and doing it for a good cause, while giving the large Colombian community in the Tampa Bay area an opportunity to engage in the genuine Colombian culture and tradition we all love with our Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla. It\u2019s an exciting way to heat up January in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morlando is a Colombian-born resident of Safety Harbor. One of her goals is to spread happiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so excited about how our Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla brings so much happiness into people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s an uplifting event that is majestic, colorful and vibrant. Truly, Jan. 17th is going to be a night to remember at the Colombian bar and grill Casa 21,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
If imitation is the best form of flattery, then Morlando\u2019s event has been highly celebrated. As successful as Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla has been for over two decades, imitators have popped up to try to steal the thunder and latch into the passion that the local Colombian community has for the Carnaval de Barranquilla, one of Colombia’s most important folkloric celebrations, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world.<\/p>\n
However, those imitators have, for the most part, dwindled away or never reached the status of Tampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla. This reflects the enduring legacy of what Morlando built from scratch. She is now widely recognized for her dedication and leadership in establishing the event locally, spanning from Safety Harbor to the heart of Tampa.<\/p>\n
\u201cTampa Bay Carnaval de Barranquilla is the original and most authentic display of the beloved Colombian festival. We have been serving the Tampa Bay area for over 25 years,\u201d said Morlando.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to do it in 2026. You don\u2019t have to be Colombian to experience the joy of the Carnaval de Barranquilla. Everyone is invited, whether you are Colombian or not. We\u2019re inclusive. We love to share the happiness. Come experience the best of Colombia right here in Tampa. Don\u2019t stay home. Be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Colombian community will come together in early 2026 for authentic Colombian dancing presentations, cultural enrichment and elaborate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[58197,58196,58195,1345,58204,4528,58194,1209,58199,58202,28,276,58203,58205,58198,1343,58200,135,1526,137,136,16347,58201],"class_list":{"0":"post-115067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-barranquilla","9":"tag-barranquilla-carnival","10":"tag-carnaval-de-barranquilla","11":"tag-carnival","12":"tag-carnivals","13":"tag-colombia","14":"tag-colombian-festival","15":"tag-culture","16":"tag-entertainment-events","17":"tag-february-observances","18":"tag-florida","19":"tag-hillsborough-county","20":"tag-holidays-based-on-the-date-of-easter","21":"tag-lent","22":"tag-march-observances","23":"tag-masquerade-ceremonies","24":"tag-parades","25":"tag-tampa","26":"tag-tampa-bay","27":"tag-tampa-headlines","28":"tag-tampa-news","29":"tag-traditions","30":"tag-walking-events"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}