Carnival 2025, 2026 and 2027 in Uruguay

The Carnival holiday in Uruguay comes each year in February or March, as in many other significantly Roman Catholic countries. The date varies, but it always immediately precedes Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of a 40-day Lenten fast leading up to Easter.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2025	3 Mar	Mon	Carnival
	4 Mar	Tue	Carnival
2026	16 Feb	Mon	Carnival
	17 Feb	Tue	Carnival
2027	8 Feb	Mon	Carnival
	9 Feb	Tue	Carnival
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

In Uruguay, Carnival has as many African roots as European so that song and dance styles like “candombre” tend to dominate the contests and fill the streets of Montevideo for weeks on end.

There are numerous parades, focused especially in the capital and largest city of Montevideo. Dancers and singers perform in the streets as well as in the Summer Theatre. Artists also compete, and there are makeshift stages called “tablados” in the streets where plays are performed.

Uruguay’s Carnival has a very different “flavour” than that in Rio. It is focused more on culture and art than on mere entertainment, though of course there is plenty of both!

Previous Years

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2024	12 Feb	Mon	Carnival
	13 Feb	Tue	Carnival
2023	20 Feb	Mon	Carnival
	21 Feb	Tue	Carnival