Recognized as Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the candome seduces visitors with the peculiar sound of its three drums: chico, repique and piano. In the Parade of Llamadas, more than 2,000 drums sound in unison along the route. This can not be enjoyed at any other time or place in the world.

The Societies of Negros and Lubolos or Comparsas de Candombe, are heirs of a tradition rooted in the so-called “Salas de Nación” of the Colonial era. The Africans brought as slaves managed to transmit inheritances and values of their rich culture and in that process gave birth to the “tambor”.
The drums constitute the essence of the comparsa. The rhythm of Candombe comes from the so-called cuerda, a group formed by three types of drums: piano, repique and chico. The tambor is played by hitting the lonja with the open hand and with a stick that can also beat on the wood; it is hung from a shoulder by means of a strap in order to be able to march while playing.
In front of the string of drums, whose number can exceed seventy performers, the rest of the comparsa is deployed with their typical costumes.
The Llamadas parade takes its name from “the call of the drum”, which the Afro-descendants used to gather “outside the walls” and since the late nineteenth century in some collective dwellings called conventillos, in neighborhoods or areas of Montevideo.
The march of each group opens with a banner, symbolizing the emblem of the Tribe or Ethnic Group, other significant elements are crescent moons and stars, to which giant flags are added.
Then the dance troupe and the ancestral characters are placed. Thus, the Gramillero represents the sorcerer of the tribe; he is dressed in a frock coat, top hat, cane, glasses and white beard and carries a suitcase with herbs with healing properties. He is accompanied by the Mama Vieja, in colorful attire, with fan and parasol, who dances slowly flirting with the Gramillero. The Escobero originally guided the drums during the parade with a cane; today he dances with a small broom, giving movement following the rhythm of the drums. Striking vedettes add sensuality to these dances, evoking rituals, dancing in front of the rope.