The Minister of Tourism, Eduardo Sanguinetti, highlighted the uniqueness of this Carnival, “it is an activity that generates a lot and for a long time, because it does not happen from one day to the next, here there are people who work on costumes, practices, in everything that is the organization of the party and it is really very important, and all that previous work is crowned with one of the most important activities in the culture of our country.”
The show takes place on a 700-meter outdoor stage, with more than 5,000 actors on stage and an audience of more than 30,000 people. All in a safe and enjoyable environment for the whole family.
It is an event that has been taking place for more than 40 years in the City of Artigas, with a permanent growth and increasingly more professional. It is a popular and artistic expression that involves all the social actors of the city and the region. With popular ticket prices and also with exclusive spaces for the public who choose to live the experience from the VIP cabins. As the carnival is the people's party, free tickets are allocated to the most economically disadvantaged sectors of society so that they can experience the show at no cost.
What is it?
It is the largest Samba Carnival in the country and has its own identity, a product of the cultural interaction of the border. It is inspired by the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.
The idiosyncrasy of Artigas, the Uruguayan spirit, and the joy of the border create a cultural manifestation of its own, with unique music, color, and warmth.
These are the three pillars of our Carnival: Samba music, a rhythm with Afro origins, with a special and unique rhythm and cadence.
The color is given by the fantasies and warmth of Artigas, warmth that is not only in the climate, but the main warmth is given by the kind, hospitable and happy people of the border.
When?
It is a party that we know when it ends, with the last parade, but that has multiple beginnings. It begins with the rehearsal seasons in each of the Samba Schools, some in December, others in January.
There are events prior to the parades. Some are organized by the Schools as a whole, through the Federation, such as the Election of the Carnival Court and the Drum Show. Others are organized by each School in its community, with Shows that attract a large number of people.
What are the Artigas Samba School rehearsals?
They are the essence, the life of the Artigas Carnival, they mean much more than the previous one, they constitute a party in themselves. They consist of meetings in each rehearsal block (venues) where the members of the Battery, and all the other musicians (strings) and singers (Musical Harmony) meet.
This live music is what encourages the members of each community to come night after night to their headquarters to enjoy a unique, special moment, that of listening to the Battery of their School playing their Samba Enredo. In these nights of encounters, sambas enredo from the School itself, from Schools of Rio de Janeiro, of São Paulo, are played, there is vibration, singing, dancing, they are combined with local rhythms, cumbia, plena, “sertanejo” are present, Latin pop, funk, everything “vira samba” (everything becomes Samba) Samba unites, Samba is the soundtrack of the nights of Artigas from December to February.
What does the Artigas Carnival entail?
It is a festival that was born spontaneously out of necessity and desire to express oneself during Carnival. It emerged in the 1980s, when residents of the Aríguia neighbourhoods previously founded the “batucadas”. These drum groups later gave shape to what are today the Samba Schools.
The Schools, in addition to contributing to leisure, a basic human need, arise to prove to us as people of Artigas that culture can be generated, our own culture, in the north that has always been so relegated and forgotten.
The Samba Schools have created their own cultural manifestation, which gives identity, which gives a sense of belonging. It is the Samba Schools that have produced what no other institution has been able to do: make the people of Artigas feel important, feel like creators of their own reality.
In addition to the cultural value, there is also the economic value of this festival, which is an event that mobilizes the local economy. It also mobilizes commerce in different branches (barracks, hardware stores, fabric stores, related to gastronomy, hotels, drinks).
The big party
The visible: the big party. These are the nights of the parades.
On those nights, the parades take place along our main avenue. Lecueder Avenue is prepared beforehand, the street is painted white so that the fantasies look better, the lighting is improved, fences, chairs, stands are put up, and bathrooms are installed. The stage is prepared to receive the public and the artists in the “largest open-air show in the country.”
The Carnival organizing schools also create space for other invited schools (also from our city) to organize the pre-parade to the main parades.
What do the parades of each of the Schools consist of?
The Carnival is a street opera, to the rhythm of its Samba Enredo each School parades along Avenida Lecueder within a certain time frame.
The parade is opened by the School's Front Commission, a performing group made up of dancers who perform a choreography that previews the theme that the School will address.
The theme of Enredo is the equivalent of the plot of a literary work. It is the story to be told, it is what the School on the Avenue is going to unfold.
The parade unfolds as the different sectors, called wings, tell the story with their costumes, which represent part of the plot. Each costume is made with excellent quality materials, with finishes and embellishments that make them unique and special. Each wing, each sector has a number of members that varies between 20 and 40 people, all wearing the same costume.
There are wings that are present in all schools, such as the “Bahianas” this group of people represents the most experienced of each community, they are very loved and respected.
Each School has its Battery, headed by its Godmother, Queen and muse, these positions are references in each institution, women from Artigas who are outstanding in their community.
The parades also feature floats, which, in addition to helping to “tell” the story of their entanglement, add grandeur to the festival. Large sculptures, spectacular and luxurious fantasies, with careful and special lighting, give the festival charm and fascination.
Artigas Carnival: the most democratic and inclusive festival
In the parades the protagonists are the members of the different communities, the doctor, the lawyer, the bricklayer, the mayor's son with the nurse's son march together in one wing or in the Battery, they are all equal, all singing the same Samba, all dancing to the same rhythm, all under the same flag.
The Samba Carnival is an inclusive party. Trans events in the rehearsal blocks are characteristic and highly valued. Each community waits year after year for its party to elect its Miss Trans. The LGBTQI+ community is part of the communities and its integration is totally naturalized.
The court of the Artigas Carnival is made up of a Queen, a Vice Queen and a King Momo. It is worth noting that trans women have participated in the election of the Queen and Vice Queen, since the integration of these women into the different activities has become normalized.
The integration of Afro culture and the creation of a cultural manifestation of its own based on these foundations means that in Artigas there are no situations of racism or xenophobia. Artigas society is integrative, plural, respectful of differences, and heterogeneity is seen as a positive asset, which is used to complement and grow together.
Implications of Organizing the Artigas Carnival
The organization primarily has the support of the Departmental Government of Artigas, the main sponsor and support.
Obtain sponsorship at local and national level: Ministry of Tourism, ANTEL, UTE, State Casinos, BSE, ANCAP, manage ticket sales for the event, hire staff to welcome the public, set up the stage infrastructure, organize common events, hire juries, organize the parades, location logistics, coordinate work with firefighters, health, police, organize event security, coordinate with INAU on everything related to authorizations for minors.
The Artigas Carnival is a unique popular expression of the north of the country, a cultural heritage of the Community, a majestic artistic event and a development opportunity for Artigas.
Source: MINTUR Uruguay.