Candombe

Candombe is played on three drums of different sizes, chico, repique and piano, carried on the shoulder and heated over street fires before playing to bring the skins up to pitch. It came from the enslaved Africans brought to Montevideo and survives in the neighbourhoods where their descendants settled, chiefly Barrio Sur, Palermo and Cordón. Groups walk the streets playing on Sunday evenings through the year, and the Llamadas parade in February is the year's centrepiece.

Highlights

• The three drums - chico, repique and piano, each with its own part.
• The street fires - drums heated over fires before playing to tune the skins.
• The Sunday llamadas - drum groups walking the neighbourhood streets through the year.
• The February parade - the Desfile de Llamadas at the heart of Montevideo carnival.

When to go

The Llamadas parade falls in early February during carnival. Sunday evening street processions happen through the year in the traditional neighbourhoods. Summer evenings are when the streets are busiest.

Practical notes

The Sunday processions are community practice, not performances; following a group closely or filming without asking is not welcome. The Llamadas parade is ticketed for seating and very crowded. Barrio Sur and Palermo are ordinary working neighbourhoods and normal care applies at night.

Nearby

Montevideo's old city is north, and the rambla runs along the shore.