Festival Orígenes: Four Nights of Ancestral Music in Bogotá
Bogotá · MUSIC
Key Facts
- The datesConcerts run Wednesday 26 to Saturday 29 August 2026.
- The priceFree, with entry until capacity is reached.
- The organiserIdartes, the district arts institute of Bogotá.
- The editionThis is the second, after a first that drew about 5,000 people.
- The reachPerformers come from Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico.
- The extraAn academic and cultural week runs 24 to 28 August.
Festival Orígenes returns to Bogotá from Wednesday 26 August. Four nights, four venues, six countries, and not a peso to get in.
What the festival is
The full name is Festival Orígenes, Sonidos y Saberes Ancestrales. That translates as ancestral sounds and knowledge.
The music comes from indigenous peoples of Colombia and the wider region. Expect drums, flutes, voices and dance rather than a rock line-up.
Idartes, the city’s arts institute, runs it in alliance with the Colectivo Memorias Originarias MUKSU. This is the second edition.
The first, in August 2025, drew about 5,000 people across five days. Everything was free then, and everything is free now.
The four concert nights
Wednesday 26 August, 7pm, at the Planetario de Bogotá on Calle 26B #5-93. Djuena Tikuna from Brazil and La Tulpa Raymi from Colombia.
Thursday 27 August, 8pm, at the Teatro Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on Carrera 7 #22-47. Sara Curruchich from Guatemala and Humazapas from Ecuador.
Friday 28 August, 6pm, at the Plaza de Lourdes in Chapinero, on the mobile stages. Alwa from Bolivia, Jatun Mama from Ecuador and Ukamau from Colombia.
Saturday 29 August, 2pm, at the open-air Media Torta theatre on Calle 18 #1-05 Este. Six acts, including Hamac Caziim from Mexico.
Saturday is the long one and the best entry point. An afternoon start in an outdoor amphitheatre suits a first visit.
Who some of these performers are
Sara Curruchich is a Kaqchikel Maya singer from Guatemala who performs in her own language and in Spanish. She is the best-known name on the bill.
Djuena Tikuna is a Brazilian singer of the Tikuna people, from the upper Amazon near the Colombian border. Her work is rooted in Tikuna song.
Hamac Caziim, from Mexico, plays rock in the Seri language of Sonora. It is not a folklore act.
The point of the programming is that range. Ancestral does not mean archival, and several of these artists work in contemporary forms.
What free actually means here
There is no ticket, no booking and no box office. The official wording is entry free until capacity is reached.
That places the risk on you rather than on your wallet. Arrive early for the indoor venues, which fill first.
The Teatro Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and the Planetario are the two enclosed spaces. The Media Torta and Plaza de Lourdes are open air.
No published source gives a capacity figure for any of them. Treat a seat as something to arrive for, not to assume.
The week of talks
Alongside the Festival Orígenes concerts, an academic and cultural week runs Monday 24 to Friday 28 August. It is also free.
The sessions move around the city: a cultural house on Monday, the Sala Gaitán on Tuesday, the Planetario terrace on Wednesday.
Thursday goes to the Centro Ático at the Javeriana university for a screening and conversation. Friday closes at the Casa de Poesía Silva.
No start times have been published for these. That is a gap worth calling the organisers about if the talks are your reason to go.
Getting to the venues
The Planetario and the Teatro Jorge Eliécer Gaitán sit within a few blocks of each other in Santa Fe. TransMilenio stations Museo Nacional and Calle 26 both serve them.
Plaza de Lourdes is in Chapinero, at Carrera 13 with Calle 63. The Carrera 13 corridor runs past it.
La Media Torta is the awkward one. It sits above Calle 18 Este in the hills behind La Candelaria, and the walk up is steep.
For that venue, take a taxi or an app car. The climb from the centre is not a pleasant one at altitude.
What to expect if you do not speak Spanish
The concerts need no Spanish at all. Much of the singing is in indigenous languages in any case.
The academic sessions are a different matter. They run in Spanish with no interpretation advertised.
For a foreign resident, this is one of the easier ways into a part of Colombian culture that tourism rarely reaches.
It is also a rare chance to hear performers from six countries in one week without leaving the city.
Two things to check before you go
The academic week’s end date is stated inconsistently in the city’s own material. One page says 27 August and a later, itemised one says 28.
The venue for Monday’s opening session has no published address. Only a social-media page carries it.
The Festival Orígenes concert dates and venues, by contrast, are consistent across every official source. Those are the ones to plan around.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Festival Orígenes 2026?
Concerts run Wednesday 26 to Saturday 29 August 2026 in Bogotá. A free academic and cultural week runs from 24 to 28 August.
Do I need a ticket?
No. Entry is free at every venue until capacity is reached. There is no booking system, so arrive early for the indoor shows.
Where are the concerts held?
The Planetario de Bogotá, the Teatro Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, the Plaza de Lourdes in Chapinero and the open-air Media Torta theatre.
Is the festival in Spanish?
The concerts largely are not, since much of the singing is in indigenous languages. The academic sessions are in Spanish with no interpretation.