Hay Festival Cartagena
Hay Festival Cartagena takes place Jan 28 - 31, 2027 in Cartagena, Colombia. The dress code is Light tropical clothing (linen, breathable fabrics); smart-casual for evening events. Typical cost ranges from 300 to 1000 EUR per person.
The Latin American flagship of Britain's Hay Festival, gathering major writers, journalists and thinkers in the courtyards and theatres of Cartagena's colonial walled city each January. Sessions run in Spanish and English against a backdrop of Caribbean heat and colonial facades. The 2027 edition runs January 28 - 31.
- When
- Jan 28 - 31, 2027
- Where
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Dress code
- Light tropical clothing (linen, breathable fabrics); smart-casual for evening events
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 300 to 1000 EUR per person.
- Weather
- Around 31C, hot and humid with dry-season sea breezes
- When to book
- Tickets on sale from Nov and headline talks sell out; book walled-city hotels by Oct
- Getting there
- CTG (Cartagena), about 15 min to the walled city
- Where to stay
- Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, Casa San Agustin, Hotel Boutique Casa del Coliseo
- Official site
- https://www.hayfestival.com/cartagena
How to attend
The programme and tickets go live at hayfestival.com/cartagena around November; individual talks are modestly priced and many events - including a large community and youth strand - are free. Headline sessions sell out quickly. Venues cluster in the Centro and Getsemani, all walkable.
Insider tip
Stay inside the walls so every venue is a short hot-weather walk, and mix paid headline talks with the extensive free community and Hay Joven strands.
Get inside Hay Festival Cartagena
Booking matters here: tickets on sale from Nov and headline talks sell out; book walled-city hotels by Oct. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.