A short story about Mil Tambores Carnival in Valparaíso

On a day like today, but five years ago (for the record, that is 2017), I was in Valparaíso after traveling as a backpacker all around the Andean countries.

To my surprise, the city was preparing to host one of the biggest festivals in Chile: “el Carnaval Mil Tambores”.

This carnival is a social statement in itself.

It was born anonymously in the streets of Valparaíso in 1999 as a very successful attempt to recover the public space, enliven the local culture and express themselves after 17 years of dictatorship.

It is the grandson of the “Fiesta de la Primavera” (Spring Party), a festival that was celebrated until 1973, when Pinochet reached power.

At that time, in the nineties, the city was recovering from censorship and becoming a hub of art and culture thanks to the growing impact of universities, museums, libraries, and artistic centers.

Besides Mil Tambores, you can find traces of this flourishing culture in the poems of Pablo Neruda, the street art of the Cerro Bellavista and the murals of the Museo a Cielo Abierto.

It is a beautiful city, indeed.

Going back to Mil Tambores, local organizations as Centro Cultural Playa Ancha took leadership of the new carnival.

They didn’t know a thing about planning an event like this, but they learned by trial and error (as one should do with everything, I believe).

Batucadas, body painting, juggling, stilts and dancing. That’s how Mil Tambores was born.

Now, Mil Tambores has become a tradition and has given the space to hundreds of local and international artists to show their crafts, light up the free spirit of the city and, of course, recover the public space that belongs to them.

Just to name a few examples of this, in more than 20 years of history they have recovered relevant locations such as:

• Feria del Mar, now the Arts Faculty of Playa Ancha University.
• Valparaíso Prison, now the Cultural Park of Valparaíso.
• Santa María brook, now the Park of Arts Violeta Parra.

And, going further, Mil Tambores raises the flag of some social cause every year.

On two of the three days of the carnival, the organizers carry out conferences, workshops, talks and international art exhibitions on cultural management and territory, to remind the people that the public space belongs to them and to develop artistic skills.

On the third day, the delegations and artistic groups meet to parade on Altamirano Avenue. A street party that is open to everyone.

I danced for hours while I was there. And that’s why I celebrate the anniversary of Mil Tambores.

Before we say goodbye, I just want to give you a couple of friendly reminders.

• Mil Tambores is celebrated from the first Friday of October until Sunday. That day, the carnival closes with a big party. (This year is going to be on October 2nd).
• Let’s be responsible tourists. Even though it is a party, don’t go wild! Remember that the city belongs to the locals, so don’t leave trash, don’t overdrink, and respect everybody.

Enjoy the rhythm of the drums in Mil Tambores!

#WritingChallenge: 2/30.