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TLDR? The best time to visit Medellin is in August since that’s when Medellin’s big flower festival takes place!
Medellin’s got great weather all year round and a cultural scene that changes from month to month.
But, with things going on all the time and good weather year-round, when should you visit Medellin?
Well, it turns out there are a couple of different times of year that you should visit Medellin. Here are the best times to visit the City of Eternal Spring.
In this article:
Weatherwise, January and February are considered the best time to visit Medellin. The rainy season eases up, and the schools and Universities are out on holiday, so Colombians head out of town for a vacation.
The annual exodus means that Medellin can seem a little abandoned and the villages around the city might feel more crowded than usual.
The nightclubs and bars might not feel as busy as normal because the city’s party animals have taken their sound systems and neon light sticks to the Caribbean coast for the biggest electronic dance music festivals in Cartagena and Santa Marta.
The celebrated itinerant festival of ideas moves through Medellin and Cartagena every January.
Hosting a glittering selection of writers, filmmakers, creatives, academics, sense makers, and musicians, the Hay Festival happens in Medellin on the penultimate weekend of January.
Medellin’s bohemian types head to the coast to sample the festival in full. If you’ll be visiting for this event, you might as well book a hotel with some style, such as the Marquee! It’s the perfect place to post up while you’re visiting for the Hay Festival.
If you’re a Roman Catholic, March or April is important. You can see several professions happening during the Holy Week, with locals heading to various places of worship on Easter Day.
Aside from Semana Santa, which also serves as one of the busiest seasons in Medellin, the Living Legends of Salsa Concert also occurs during the first week of April. This event brings salsa musicians together for a night of dancing and grooving to the music in La Macarena.
After the Holy Week, celebrate biodiversity at the ColomBIOdiversity Festival. This event features various children’s workshops, flower sculptures, and an environmental film fest showcasing beautiful Medellin nature.
June is another popular month for locals because it’s a school break for the kids! Their children get weeks off from school, which means more weekend trips and hotel bookings! June is also the best month to visit Guatape and Santa Fe de Antioquia for unique excursion trips and sightseeing.
The international tango festival takes place throughout the city in the last week of June, to commemorate the death of the father of tango, Carlos Gardel, who died tragically in Medellin when his plane crashed as he was leaving the city on June 24, 1935.
There are musical and dance performances throughout the city, including a dance competition in the metropolitan theater.
The event includes a chance to explore some of the melancholy landmarks of Medellin’s tango scene.
Timed to coincide with the buildup events of the Feria de las Flores, Colombiamoda is an annual fashion event and trade fair that brings a glamorous crowd to town for the closest thing Colombia has to emulating fashion week in London, New York or Paris.
The fashion is more lingerie and swimwear than haute couture, although there are some fun shows hosted by Colombia’s biggest brands.
The fashion often takes second place to the parties and “networking” and the whole spectacle provides a brilliant contrast to the rural traditions on show in August. Book a stay at Celestino Boutique Hotel if you want to stay for this event!
The Feria de las Flores (Medellin Flower Festival) is the closest Medellin comes to its own version of Carnival. Held every August over the first and second weekends of the month, the festival includes some interesting spectacles.
For instance, you can enjoy a celebration of the long-standing agricultural traditions of which the city is so proud.
The big event is the parade of the silleteros – a colorful display by hard-working natives from Santa Elena and other villages in Antioquia, carrying creative, colorful flower arrangements on their backs parading through the city. It’s a fascinating expression of the city’s obsession with its rural image of itself.
To fill out the festival there’s a traditional parade of classic and vintage cars. There’s also a horseback procession and plenty of aguardientes to be downed at the display of the fondas.
September is a great time for sports and culture fans to visit the city!
If the local football team, Atletico Nacional are doing well you might get a chance to enjoy one of the biggest games of the year.
And, you can watch the team play in front of a packed house at the Atanasio Girardot stadium for a semi-final of the Copa Libertadores. That’s the equivalent of the Champions League football (soccer) tournament in South America.
If sports isn’t your thing, then you might want to check out the Medellin Book and Culture Festival. This festival offers literary types the chance to meet their favorite authors. And, it’s a way to enjoy a cultured celebration of the arts in some fantastic open-air settings.
There are open-air readings and book fairs throughout the city creating a cultured atmosphere that’s a pleasure to experience. It’s the perfect place for bookworms to hang out for a while!
The primary reason hotel prices are lowest during September is that it’s the slowest month for travel. This month is when summer ends, with most people heading back to school and work after spending Semana Santa with their loved ones.
We always recommend visiting Medellin in September because the prices are the cheapest! Plus, it’s the perfect month to book long trips because you won’t see any big crowds or tourists in most tourist attraction spots!
Medellin’s reggaetoneros have blazed a trail in the world music scene and once a year the likes of J Balvin invite some of the biggest names in Reggaeton to a fantastic celebration of perreo in the Macarena.
The Bruuttal festival is the colloquial expression and name given to the star-studded concert. It always lives up to its billing.
If you want to experience the best of dance music in Medellin, October is the time to visit! Stay at Epic Boutique Hotel to put yourself right at the heart of the action.
November is also considered one of Medellin’s busiest months because of Independence Day. More specifically, Independence Day occurs on November 11. But don’t worry because it won’t cause that many large crowds like the ones in December.
It’s simply a proclaimed National Independence Day, so expect government offices to be closed.
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There’s nothing quite like experiencing the holidays in Medellin. You’ll get all that holiday cheer in tropical weather!
On top of that, every year the city loves to put on a spectacular light show in Colombia, lighting up downtown and the area around city hall and Parque del Rio with a festival of lights and Christmas decorations.
It gives the whole city a reason to come into town and stroll through Medellin’s most important municipal parks in the build-up to Christmas.
It’s an impressive show and gets everyone into a festive mood. Plus, it’s the perfect way to celebrate New Year’s Eve and Christmas in style!
Visiting Medellin in December also gives you a chance to witness Dia de las Velitas or Day Candles, which occurs every December 7 of the year. It showcases trails of candles on windows, porches, and parks.
The Day of Little Candles happens together with the switching of the lights from the famous Christmas Lights Festival. It signals the official start of the lights festival, so don’t miss out on this!
There’s a reason why Medellin is famous for being the City of the Eternal Spring. You can expect cool nights and warm days all year round, with the air becoming cooler because of the light winds from the Aburrá Valley.
While you’re used to four distinct seasons from major parts of America, Medellin has a dry, somewhat dry, and two wet seasons: fall and spring. The best months to experience heavy rain are September to November, April, and May.
However, you can expect rain to fall for only a few hours while getting scattered throughout Medellin. On the other hand, the dry season is winter from December to February. June to August is the period of the somewhat dry season, otherwise known as the summer period.
Winter is when days are shorter, so it’s the perfect weather to head outside and appreciates the Christmas cheer. During this time, locals celebrate New Year’s Eve with unique traditions, including rolling suitcases around blocks and wearing yellow underwear.
January may be the driest month, but you might still encounter daily rainfall. Flight rates are slightly cheaper in December but are still more expensive compared to other months.
Spring occurs from February to May when the rain starts to increase. As mentioned, April is Medellin’s wettest month, but the rain showers are always short-lived. The temperature during this time is ideal for heading out and witnessing different outdoor activities.
Rainfall starts to become scarce by June when you’ll also experience the longest days. Afternoons are warm, while evenings have a cooler breeze. The sunniest month is August when the sun shines for at least ten hours daily.
Rainfall starts to increase slightly by September, but the temperature is pretty much the same as summer. Days remain long, but the sun does not shine as long as during summer. November is the most humid and coldest month and has the shortest days.
We totally understand that not everyone wishes to splurge when traveling. And if you’re one of them, don’t worry because we’ve got you! Aside from knowing when’s the best time to experience the perfect weather in Medellin, we know you’re also curious about when the prices are most affordable.
If you want to save on accommodations, book in September. Hotel rates normally drop during this month. September is also the time for the Medellin Book and Culture Festival, so there’s that to look forward to when you want to save up on accommodation costs.
On the contrary, hotel rates tend to go up during August, when the majority of famous events occur. The weather during this month is also ideal for various outdoor activities because it’s when the dry season occurs.
If you hate the crowds, April, May, and September to November are the least busy months. But you must also consider that precipitation is at 90% during April, so you might not be able to enjoy and get the most out of your trip.
But what’s excellent about Medellin is that heavy rains only occur briefly in the afternoon. They pour for a maximum of two hours, and that’s it! It’s also best to always bring an umbrella with you, just in case it suddenly pours.
The peak tourism seasons are spring and winter in Medellin, during January and parts of April and May. Flight rates start to increase during mid-March until the first few weeks of August. You can experience pricy airfares during December and January too.
You would also want to avoid Semana Santa or Holy Week, which occurs in March or April because most businesses and tourist activities shut down during this period. Streets also get crowded, with locals heading to churches to pray and celebrate the Holy Week.
You don’t really need a reason to visit Medellin but if you’re coming to experience any of these marvelous Medellin celebrations you should be aware that demand for the city’s vacation rentals and hotels can be unusually high during these events. It pays to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Looking to learn more about one of the most beautiful cities in South America? You might also enjoy our guide to the weather and what to pack in Medellin!
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