BIME Bogotá 2026: Highlights You Shouldn’t Miss. Our Top Picks.
It’s been five years since BIME arrived in Bogotá in 2022, and this week marks the end of its first chapter with the biggest edition so far. From May 5 to 7, Universidad EAN, CEFE Chapinero, and the Calle 85 Creative District will host more than 50 artists in showcase performances, along with open-access talks. Here are the highlights we’re excited about.
ON THE STAGES
Los Mirlos (PE) come from Moyobamba, Peru, and have spent over fifty years playing psychedelic Amazonian cumbia. Few acts in the region capture the sound of a place so clearly. Seeing them in a small venue, in front of programmers who are often seeing them for the first time, is the kind of experience that makes an industry showcase memorable.
Ghetto Kumbé (CO) is the leading Colombian group blending electronics with Afro-Caribbean percussion. Here, percussion is not just a background element; it forms the entire structure. They’re performing on their home turf, and with international programmers coming to explore the scene, that carries extra weight.
Verito Asprilla (CO) is from Tumaco, signed to Discos Pacífico, just 21 years old, and has already played at Lollapalooza Chile, Estéreo Picnic, and venues in Europe. Her music mixes dembow with Pacific coast slang, and her lyrics are unapologetic. She’s the most exciting Colombian artist on the lineup and likely the one who will connect best with the audience.
Fransia (AR) has released four studio albums and toured throughout Latin America and Europe. Her album Fuentes secretas was named Best New Latin by Bandcamp in 2025, and she played at The New Colossus Festival in New York this year. This is Argentine alternative pop with real experience behind it, making her one of the strongest acts on the lineup.
Bala (ES) is a punk and stoner duo from Galicia. Two women making a lot of noise, they offer a sharp contrast to the rest of the lineup.
Hermanos Menores (CO) play experimental rock from Bogotá, mixing improvisation, psychedelic sounds, and controlled chaos. They performed at Rock al Parque 2025. On a lineup that mostly features pop and urban acts, they remind us that Bogotá has a different side too.
Flvckka (MX) brings Mexican trap and hyperpop that defies easy description. This is the artist we’re most curious about, and sometimes that’s the best reason to attend.
Winona Riders (AR) play stoner, noise, and psychedelic music. They’ve been active in Morón since 2018, releasing five records between 2023 and 2026, and they stick to independent-scene values. A showcase like this brings them the audience they deserve.
Luisa Almaguer (MX) Trans singer-songwriter from Mexico City who’s spent a decade crossing folk, shoegaze, noise, and cumbia without any of those labels quite fitting. Part of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express collective, two records deep, and a voice that live becomes something else entirely. One of the most interesting presences on the bill.
Nacho Vegas (ES) is a Spanish singer-songwriter with decades of experience. His booking isn’t a surprise, but it’s still one you don’t want to miss.
IN THE TALKS (CEFE Chapinero, free access)
Tuesday 5: Juanes and Manuel Abud, part of the ÍCONOS series. This session looks at Juanes as a cultural phenomenon, not just his discography. Manuel Abud leads the Latin Grammy Academy. Both have witnessed the transformation of Spanish-language music from the inside. This could be a truly interesting conversation, or it might take a more formal turn, with these two, either outcome is possible.
Wednesday 6: “30 years of Rock al Parque” with Andrea Echeverri and Lula Bertoldi. This is the talk we’re most excited about this year. Andrea Echeverri from Aterciopelados in Bogotá has spent three decades building a career outside the mainstream, and Lula Bertoldi is the guitarist for Eruca Sativa. They’ll discuss the festival that kept Bogotá’s rock scene alive when little else was happening. Héctor Mora will moderate, which is a plus. This isn’t just a nostalgia panel, it’s a real conversation about what it takes to build a music scene in a city and who actually does the work.
Wednesday 6: Sky Rompiendo and Héctor Elí (El Flowcast). Sky Rompiendo produced much of the reggaeton that shaped the last decade in Medellín. This talk will focus on the behind-the-scenes work: what a producer really does and how a sound is created from within. It’s rare to hear this kind of open, in-depth conversation with someone who knows the right questions to ask.
Wednesday 6: Dante Spinetta. He has spent decades blending rap, rock, and genres that don’t fit easy labels. He chose to come to BIME instead of a festival, which already hints at the kind of conversation he wants to have.
BIME Live is free to attend until the venue reaches capacity, with priority given to accredited attendees. Showcases on the 5th and 6th will take place throughout the Calle 85 Creative District at venues like Casa de Donovan, 4.40 Music Hall, McCarthy’s, Antenna, and Furia. On Thursday the 7th, the event moves to Proyecto Kinder, where four stages will run at the same time.
