Why Cartagena Nightlife is the Best Way to Ring in the New Year

Fact! Cartagena is Colombia’s most popular destination for ringing in the new year. Rightfully so, as the city puts on quite the party. The tropical climate creates the most wonderful environment for a night of endless festivities. Regardless of if you have advanced plans or are just winging it, Cartagena nightlife on New Years Eve doesn’t leave much to be desired.

Pre-Party Dinner

Before submerging in Cartagena nightlife festivities, remember – “A Girl’s Gotta Eat!” While Cartagena always has a great street food options, many opt for slightly fancier dinner venues on New Year’s Eve. The popular spots book up pretty early, but if you can’t get into places like Cafe del Mar, don’t panic. You can still find a reservation, like we did when we stumbled upon Restaurante San Valentin at 6:00 pm on NYE.

Though it was a prefix menu, the food was absolutely amazing, starting with a couple of simple but marvelously flavorful chicken puffs. For the main I had shrimp in a garlic sauce, served in a crab shell with a side of coconut rice. By the time the decadent chocolate cake came out I was so full I could barely breathe.

As entertainment, several sets of musicians rotated through the different areas of the two floor restaurant. It was some of the best musical talent I have ever seen live. A violinist banging out today’s hits, followed by a salsa band that made us want to get up and dance in our seats.

By the time we were done with dinner, my boyfriend and I were primly poised for an evening of Cartagena nightlife. Lucky for us it could all be found within 15 steps away from the restaurant.

Watch Fireworks Shoot from the Old City Wall

Full and a little buzzed we left the restaurant, making our way to the old city wall. Note: asking locals how to get onto the wall is pointless – they have no idea and will send you in circles. It’s smarter to find the entry point before dinner.

Armed with a bottle of Moet’s finest champagne and two plastic flutes, we finally found our way to the wall slope just before midnight. The best place to see the fireworks is from just about anywhere on the wall. They are shot from all over around the city wall.

If in doubt, keep walking the wall until you see parks with tons of chairs below you. Stop where you see tons of Colombians picnicking, they know they have the best view. Surprisingly, the wall was not packed full of people, despite being a great viewing platform.

There wasn’t much of an official countdown from where we were, but once the first firework was shot we figured it out. We let the cork fly off our bottle and toasted to a wonderful entry into 2020. When the show ended, we made our way down the wall and into the city – ready to experience Cartagena nightlife.

Cartagena Nightlife Means Party in the Streets

If you’ve heard that Cartagena turns into a massive party for New Years, that is 100% true. We wandered from one tiny closed street to another, using only our ears to guide us. There were beautifully decorated tables everywhere, and people dressed head to toe in white to welcome the new year.

The speakers so loud they could bust your ear drums. We stopped to dance everywhere the music sounded good, yet we were never tied down to one place. It was like being at an outdoor music festival in Colombia.

I was lucky enough to wander Cartagena’s streets with my Puerto Rican boyfriend, for whom salsa music runs deep in his blood. We had a ball as he spun me around to the ever changing beats coming from all around us.

Locals and tourists all came together within the small old city wall to party the night away.

It went well into the morning hours, but at some point the buzz wore off and our legs gave out. Despite the thick humid air, Cartagena nightlife proved the perfect recipe for a great New Years night.

When You're Partied Out

When we couldn’t dance anymore, two things jumped forefront in our minds. The first was food, the second was getting back to our Bocagrande hotel. Food proved to be the easiest. Even at that late hour, street vendors were at practically ever corner chomping at the bit to feed the hungry hung over masses.

There’s nothing quite like a butter and cheese arepa at 4:00 am while you’re trying to flag down a taxi. We tried unsuccessfully to find a free taxi. As we walked in the direction of Bocagrande we realized the traffic was virtually standing still.

We even tried to board not one, but two public buses making stops in Bocagrande. That turned out to be a huge bust as well with loads of sweaty people piled on to an air condition-less bus that was moving 3 mph. The patience-less New Yorker in my boyfriend won out, so we walked. For most of the way we were walking faster than the traffic moved.

Moral of this story, bring a change of shoes for the way back. Despite the slight difficulty of ending the night, the point had been proven in my mind 100 times over. Cartagena nightlife now ranks very high on my list of best ways to spend New Years Eve and I’ll happily do it again in a heartbeat.

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