Barranquilla experienced a historic weekend with Shakira as the Carnival's Ambassador
By Liliana Ramírez
February is the month of carnivals. Venezia, Tenerife, Oruro, New Orleans, Cologne, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador de Bahía, are cities that host some of the most famous and popular parties around the world, where music and tourism are at the center of the celebration.
For this year the spotlight is Barranquilla the Colombian Caribbean city, that hosts one of the most famous and largest carnivals. Since 2003, it has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The 2025 edition of the Carnival stood out by making Shakira the ambassador of the celebration. Under the slogan ‘En Barranquilla se baila así,’ the city anchored the activities of the Carnival around two concerts on her global tour, ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’ (Women Don’t Cry Anymore). The city had to wait 18 years to host once more a concert by its most famous citizen.
‘En Barranquilla se baila así’ is the iconic phrase that Shakira sang in the classic Latin hit ‘Hips Don’t Lie,’ featuring Wyclef Jean in 2006. This song, which has elements of cumbia and the sound of a gaita, immortalized Barranquilla on the global stage with lyrics that also say, ‘Let me see you move like you come from Colombia.
The videoclip of the classic 'Hip's Don't Lie' features a representation of the Barranquilla Carnival
This song played a key role in making Shakira a global superstar. She is a pioneer of the 'Latin Explosion' movement and managed to conquer the world at a time when it was not easy to reach the top of the charts in the USA or Europe. Now, after four decades of career, she remains relevant and full of hits, holding the status of a legend. That is one of the reasons behind the intense admiration in her hometown and across all of Colombia.
The 2025 edition brought Shakira fans from many places, who visited places such as the Malecón, home to a six-meter monument of the artist, and the mural in Barrio Abajo, a popular and traditional neighborhood where a mural of Shakira was painted with a Marimonda’ mask. Fans also visited the Carnival Museum, where they could take a photo wearing a turban, a traditional piece worn by women in the Congo dance, just as the artist did in 2016.
One of the most special moments during the two concerts in Barranquilla was when Shakira sang ‘Te Olvidé,’ the traditional carnival anthem. Years ago, she performed the song alongside Joe Arroyo, one of the pioneers of Colombian Caribbean music. This time, she was accompanied by Joe’s renowned pianist, Chelito de Castro, creating an unforgettable live celebration. Additionally, 4,000 children from the schools of her foundation, Pies Descalzos, were invited to the first concert.
But the most remarkable surprise was after the show, when Shakira, dressed in a Garabato costume, danced through the streets of Barranquilla, blending in with the crowd, during ‘La Guacherna,’ a traditional nighttime parade and one of the most important events of the carnival. 'Proud to teach my kids about my culture and the joy of my people. Long live La Guacherna at Carnaval!' said the Colombian artist. As the musical route was not enough, Shakira took a photo on a city corner in costume before the parade. Now, many tourists and fans of the artist visit the same spot to recreate the picture. The place is even marked on Google Maps as 'El Bordillo. Shakira's concerts generated around 16.45 million US dollars in Barranquilla during the Carnival weekend impacting sectors such as gastronomy, hospitality, transportation, and street commerce. International visitors came from countries like Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, and the United States.
Shakira became the first Latin artist to have sold out Estadio Morumbi in São Paulo with 80 mil attendees
The Latin American leg of the 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran' (Women Don’t Cry Anymore) tour includes 24 sold-out concerts in the region and started on Tuesday, February 11, in Brazil, where she set a record as the first Latin artist to draw 80,000 attendees at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. After stops in Lima, Barranquilla, and Bogotá D.C., the tour will continue through Santiago de Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, where, in addition to Guadalajara and Monterrey, there will be seven shows at the GNP Seguros Stad ium in Mexico City, securing a big phenomenon. Santo Domingo will be the final stop of the tour in Latin America.
Each city has experienced Shakira's economic impact in its way, much like how Taylor Swift’s 'The Eras Tour' in 2024 sparked discussions around 'gig tripping' and how high-profile tours can attract large numbers of foreign tourists to a destination.
Other cities in Colombia like Medellín have developed a similar strategy in the past with Karol G, who gifted the city a free concert in 2019 called 'El Concierto de Todos', attracting more than 100,000 attendees. Similarly, in 2022, Maluma held the concert 'Medallo en el Mapa', featuring Madonna as a guest and offering a free streaming premiere, securing a global audience.
What other artists and cities could team up to create a new 'musical pilgrimage site'?
Could Barbados do it with Rihanna?
Join this conversation and learn about the best practices for turning your city into a global music tourism pilgrimage site at this year’s Music Tourism Convention, taking place in Anguilla from November 4 to 7, 2025.
More Info and tickets www.musiccitiesevents.com
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