The Best Clubs for Traditional Music in Colombia

Bazurto Social Club is a bar that oozes onda caribeña (Caribbean vibes), even from the outside. It’s a real local gem and perhaps the best place in Cartagena to enjoy the local music of champeta. With a live band playing champeta hits throughout the night, Bazurto is an unpretentious spot with inexpensive drinks and a fantastic crowd. If you get hungry while dancing the night away, they also have a kitchen serving tasty bites until midnight.

With epic live music on Thursdays and a legendary local salsa DJ spinning on Friday and Saturday nights, Zaperoco is the most happening place for old-school salsa in the city of Cali. Some of Cali’s best dancers pack out the floor, which can be a little intimidating at first. Nevertheless, newbies are still welcome to get in on the action.

A long-standing and popular establishment, Quiebra-Canto is located in Getsemani, about five minutes away from the walled city center in Cartagena. Frequented by a diverse crowd, this is a go-to salsa spot for expert dancers, but those who want to come and watch are just as welcome. Located on the second floor, the bar overlooks the clock tower in Getsemani’s main square.

Latino Power is located in Bogotá’s lively Chapinero district. This live-music venue hosts a large number of big music concert events as well as weekly bands and entertainment. The live music at Latino Power varies from indie rock to Colombian, electronic and various DJs. However, traditional Colombian music is what Latino Power really excels at, with live performances from a host of artists playing Colombian folk music fused with modern rhythms and styles.

Donde Fidel is one of Cartagena’s most famous bars, located within the historic walled city just by the Portal de los Dulces. Here you’ll find a fun mix of locals and tourists swaying to classic salsa. Drinks are cheap and the punters and staff are friendly, making this a great place to come and spend the whole evening. The area can get a little seedy later at night, but is still pretty safe, with a constant police presence, so don’t let it put you off.

Café Havana is the place to be if you like listening or dancing to salsa music. Even if you’ve never danced salsa in your life, it’s still worth heading to the city’s cultural and party centre, Getsemani, to try out this Cuban-style bar. Café Havana draws a mixed crowd of locals and expats, and welcomes talented live salsa bands who keep the crowd entertained until the early hours. Even if you’ve got two left feet, head on down for some perfectly mixed cocktails, to enjoy the music and watch others take to the dance floor.

Boogaloop is a discrete little bar in Chapinero which has become the go-to spot for traditional live music in Bogotà. The club regularly hosts live shows from some of Colombia’s best traditional bands and musicians, and there are also DJs spinning classic champeta, cumbia, vallenato and much more. It has a laid-back atmosphere and is mostly visited by locals, so a visit to Boogaloop will be a truly authentic live-music experience.