6 reasons not to miss carnival in Montevideo

Virtually unknown to people outside of Uruguay, carnival in the capital Montevideo is one of the most authentic in the world. Start planning now for 2023.

By Karen A Higgs

Carnival in Uruguay | Holidays & Festivals

Last updated on February 5, 2022

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It’s virtually unknown to people outside of Uruguay, but in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, you’ll get to experience one of the most authentic carnivals in the world.

6 reasons why carnival in Montevideo is unique

Is obvious Montevideo has the world’s longest carnival*. It goes on for 40 days between the last week of January and, depending on the weather, the first days of March.
Totally authentic Because of an overshadowing by the Rio carnival plus a lack of information in English, there are very few tourists at carnival events, other than a few Argentinians and Brazilians. So events are never too crowded and it’s a totally local experience.
Family-oriented Unlike Rio, carnival in Montevideo is a family-oriented experience. Kids run around unsupervised, get their faces painted and find you at the end of the evening. Twenty-somethings hang out with their friends over a beer. Families bring picnic blankets and deck chairs to some of the bigger venues.
Affordable Seats for the parades and nightly neighbourhood shows known as tablados generally cost around ten dollars or less. Some tablados are even subsidised by the government so tickets are even cheaper. You can buy fairground-style food and drink at reasonable prices.
Not about perfect physiques Uruguayan carnival dancers are less “streamlined”, shall we say, than Brazilian samba dancers. It’s so refreshing. Carnival in Uruguay is all about having a good time and not about physical perfection.
All year round The drumming comparsas are out on the street practising every week–even during the pandemic, murga rehearsals are open to the public, and if you get really lucky the most popular murgas occasionally present shows from previous years in theatres. (Contemporary artists like Jaime Roos fuse carnival sounds into their music.)

The Llamadas parade

Goes on for two nights in February.

One of the younger Murgas to have come through in the last few years – Cayó la Cabra

Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo

The only guide to Montevideo, Uruguay, by an author based full-time in Uruguay. Mentioned in the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, Le Figaro, Decanter and more.

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