Celebration nation

Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha

The gaucho culture runs deep in Uruguay, not only as a horse riding tradition but also in terms of music. The Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha has been held in Tacuarembó since 1987 where locals celebrate their gaucho culture with folk dancing, horse-riding competitions, and cooking enormous asados!

The festival runs for several days usually at the end of February and into early March, with over 4000 horses invited to join the festivities.

Another opportunity to catch traditional horse shows and folk dancing is during the Semana Criolla del Prado during spring, a festival that has been running since 1925 and sees more than 1,000 artists gather in Montevideo to celebrate. 

Tannat and lamb

In June, Uruguay hosts its special Tannat and lamb festival month – the Festival del Tannat y el cordero. There are few better pairings than the richness of a juicy lamb, cooked slowly over the grill with a structured Tannat, and this has become one of the key highlights of Uruguay’s gastronomy calendar. 

Several different wineries put together special menus and events, which are often full blown festivities with music and folklore dancing as well as unique pairing menus and tasting flights. It is a warming and comforting food festival, and a welcome pause in the depth of winter. 

Harvest festivals

March is the month for the different regions’ harvest festivals, or Vendimia parties. Each department and town has their own celebrations, which are held throughout March and involve celebrations in wineries, vineyards and in town squares. 

The biggest of the harvest celebrations is the Desfile Nacional de la Vendimia which is held in Las Piedras in Canelones in March, and is a major parade in which floats and folk dancers move through the town with wine tastings and artisanal stands offered on the side. The region also picks the harvest queen for the year, in the same tradition as they have for over 80 years. 

Several other wine regions and wineries also host their own vendimia celebrations, with parties and wine tastings throughout the country. Often accompanied by large asados and communal tables, these are some of the most sought-after tickets of the year. 

Noche de la Nostalgia

Perhaps the weirdest of Uruguay’s festivals, but also one of the most fun… the Noche de la Nostalgia.

Every 24 August, the whole population of Uruguay allow themselves to indulge in some good old fashioned nostalgia, looking back to bygone eras. Night clubs, restaurants and dance halls blast out music from the 60s, 70s and 80s while everyone dons their glad rags from yesterday’s wardrobe. 

It all started in 1978 when a local radio DJ started the night with a party, and it gained popularity during the military dictatorship as everyone sought comfort in looking back to easier times. In 2004, the Uruguayan government made it official sealing the 24 August as a national observance. And you don’t need to worry about the party hangover, as 25 August is already a public holiday – Noche de la Nostalgia is conveniently held just before Uruguay’s National independence day.

Celebración de Iemanjá

Every 2 February, you might see more than the usual crowds gathering at Uruguay’s beaches. In the peak of summer, it is not unusual for everyone to be at the beach during the day and evening, but the 2nd February also marks a special religious ceremony: the day of Iemanjá. 

An Afro-Uruguayan tradition, everyone gathers on the beach to give offerings to the goddess of the ocean who grants her followers fertility, family healing and protection. You may notice offerings being left throughout the day, and most noticeably in the evening after sunset when hundreds of thousands of people gather and set off small boats with their gifts out to the sea. 

Candles, flowers and small gifts are common, and while the actual event on 2 February is rather beautiful, these gifts are often washed up and leave a rather chaotic fingerprint the following morning on 3 February until the beach cleaners come in to pick up trash from the beach.