Christmas is one of the best times to visit Medellín, because the city switches on the Alumbrados, its huge public light displays, from late November to mid-January. At Colombia Desk, we plan family and group trips to Medellín, and December is the month we tell people to book earliest.
In the 2025 season the lights ran from Friday 28 November 2025 to Monday 12 January 2026, every evening from 6 pm to midnight, according to the Alcaldía de Medellín. The 2026 dates had not been announced as of October 2026, and the city usually announces them in early November.
December in Medellín is also a run of family dates. The alborada opens the month, velitas falls on 7 December, the novena runs from 16 to 24 December, and New Year’s Eve closes it. Knowing them helps you pick which week to come.
Where to See the Medellín Christmas Lights
The main Alumbrados route is along the Medellín River at Parques del Río and Paseo del Río, a central stretch of about 1.5 km. The lights are produced by EPM, the city’s public utility. The 2025 season used about 8 million LED bulbs, 600 km of light hose and 25,000 figures made by 150 artisans, per the Alcaldía de Medellín.
The 2025 locations, which give a good idea of where 2026 displays are likely to go:
- Parques del Río and Paseo del Río, the central route by the river.
- Parque de Bolívar and Avenida La Playa in the city centre.
- Plaza Botero and the fountains at the EPM building.
- 43 neighbourhood parks across Medellín’s 16 comunas, plus all 5 corregimientos.
- Avenida Las Palmas, Carrera 70 and Carabobo, which Blu Radio also listed among the 2025 locations.
Some older guides send visitors to Cerro Nutibara or Parque Norte for the lights. Neither appeared in the 2025 official locations, so start at Parques del Río instead.
The 2025 edition was the 58th, with the theme “En Navidad, Medellín te quiere”. It marked Medellín’s 350 years and EPM’s 70.
Alumbrados Hours and Dates
The lights ran every day from 6 pm to midnight in the 2025 season, with special hours on 24 and 31 December. The season opened on Friday 28 November 2025 and closed on Monday 12 January 2026, a public holiday.
For 2026, no dates had been announced as of October 2026, and the city usually announces the season in early November. Until then, plan on a late-November switch-on and a close around the January holiday weekend, and keep your first night in the city free for the river route.
How to Visit Without the Worst Crowds
Go to Parques del Río on a weeknight soon after 6 pm, when the lights come on, rather than on a weekend. The 43 neighbourhood parks are a closer option for families staying away from the river. Take the metro or an app taxi to Parques del Río rather than driving, so you are not hunting for parking after dark.
December Dates in Medellín
December in Medellín has five dates that change what you see on the street that night. The table shows them in order.
| Date | Tradition | What visitors see |
|---|---|---|
| Night of 30 Nov to 1 Dec | Alborada | Fireworks at midnight to welcome December |
| 7 December | Velitas | Candles and lanterns in streets and on doorsteps |
| 16 to 24 December | Novena de Aguinaldos | Nine nights of prayers, carols and food with family and neighbours |
| 24 December | Nochebuena | The main Christmas celebration, at night |
| 31 December | New Year’s Eve | Family dinners and agüeros (good-luck rituals) at midnight |
The Alborada and the Fireworks Ban
The alborada is a burst of fireworks from midnight on 30 November into 1 December to welcome the month, per El Colombiano. In 2025 it left 7 people injured and pushed fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) above 53 µg/m³ at 1 am in Aranjuez, against a World Health Organization (WHO) daily guideline of 15.
Fireworks are banned in Medellín under Decreto 0977 de 2025, and the city fines use, sale and distribution at more than one million pesos, per the Alcaldía. The ban does not stop everyone. El Colombiano counted 60 people injured by fireworks in Medellín over the 2025 season, including 20 minors, against 39 in 2024.
If you have asthma or travel with small children, stay indoors on the night of 30 November and keep windows shut. On 31 December, watch from a balcony rather than the street.
Christmas Traditions from Velitas to Nochebuena
Velitas, on 7 December, is the night Colombian families light candles and lanterns outside their homes, linked to the feast of the Immaculate Conception, per El País Colombia. The Novena de Aguinaldos follows from 16 to 24 December, with prayers, carols and food shared with family and neighbours.
Natilla, a set custard, and buñuelos, fried cheese dough balls, are the classic novena foods. Pandebonos, a cheese bread, join them at the Nochebuena dinner on 24 December.
New Year’s Eve in Medellín
New Year’s Eve in Medellín is mostly a family night, built around dinner and agüeros at midnight. Semana lists the common ones across Colombia:
- Eating 12 grapes at midnight, one for each month.
- Walking around the block with a suitcase, for a year of travel.
- Wearing yellow underwear, for luck.
- Keeping lentils or a bill in your shoe, for money.
Restaurants and clubs open, but Medellín sets closing hours by decree and changes them during the year. We confirm the rules for 31 December when the decree comes out. If your group wants a night out, reserve the dinner first and ask the restaurant whether it runs a set menu that night.
How to Book Medellín’s Busiest Weeks
The weeks from about 20 December to the first January weekend are the hardest to book in Medellín. They combine the Alumbrados, the year-end holiday weeks and the two biggest family nights of the year.
Book in this order:
- Flights as soon as your dates are firm, so you have the widest choice of arrival days.
- Lodging next, in El Poblado, Laureles or Envigado, and check that any short-stay rental shows a Registro Nacional de Turismo (RNT) number, as Ley 2068 de 2020 requires.
- The airport transfer. The 2026 fixed taxi fare between Medellín and José María Córdova airport is 132,000 Colombian pesos (COP).
- Dinner reservations for 24 and 31 December, the two nights with the fewest open tables.
Families should read our Medellín with kids guide for the attractions that stay open over the holidays. If you would rather hand the whole December trip off, our group trip concierge books the lodging, the airport transfers, the holiday dinners and an evening at the Alumbrados. We stay reachable through the holidays.
Who Should Not Come for Christmas
Medellín at Christmas is the wrong trip for anyone who wants empty streets and low prices. Come in late January or February instead, after the lights come down. It is also a hard month for people sensitive to smoke or noise, because illegal fireworks still go off around 30 November and 31 December.
We would change our advice on timing if the 2026 Alumbrados are announced for different dates than the 2025 run of late November to mid-January. For a Medellín Christmas trip, the next step is to book lodging for your chosen week now and add the Alumbrados evening once the city confirms the 2026 dates.