Oruro Carnival
UNESCO Masterpiece Of The Oral And Intangible Heritage Of Humanity: Carnival Of Oruro (2001, Inscribed 2008). A 20 Hour Saturday Procession Of 50 Folkloric Groups And Some 28,000 Dancers In The Diablada, Morenada And Caporales, In Honour Of The Virgin Of The Socavon, Held In February Or March Before Lent. · Oruro, Oruro
The Carnival of Oruro is Bolivia's greatest folk festival, held in the mining city of Oruro, about 3,700 m up on the Altiplano and roughly 3.5 hours by bus from La Paz. It falls on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, so the dates move each year between February and March. The Entrada procession starts early on Saturday and runs about 20 hours along a 4 km route to the Sanctuary of the Socavon, home of the Virgen del Socavon, patron of miners. About 50 folkloric groups and tens of thousands of dancers perform the Diablada with its devils and angels, plus Morenada, Caporales, Tinku, Llamerada, Tobas and Incas, with brass bands behind each one. UNESCO inscribed it in 2008. The honest picture is that it is both a devotion and a party: the crowd throws water balloons and foam, drinking is heavy, pickpockets work the stands, and every bed in town sells out months ahead. Outside Carnival, Oruro is a quiet, cold city. Book early, dress warm, protect your phone and expect to get wet; the spectacle is worth the effort for anyone who loves folk culture.
Mining city on the Altiplano about 230 km south of La Paz, with the Carnival procession along a 4 km route through the centre ending at the Sanctuary of the Socavon, Oruro, Oruro, Bolivia
The Entrada runs from early Saturday for about 20 hours along the 4 km route, FREE to watch from the pavement, while seats in the tiered stands are sold for the weekend. The Ch'alla blessing is on Sunday, and groups keep dancing at the Socavon into the small hours. Shops and offices CLOSE for the festival days, and the museums keep short hours, so confirm dates each year.