Valparaíso Dockworkers Announce Protest Truce During Mil Tambores Carnival

From Friday, October 3, through Sunday, October 5, Valparaíso, Chile, will host the popular Mil Tambores Carnival, a massive street celebration that draws thousands to watch vibrant music troupes and dance groups parade through the city.

In this context, the Valparaíso Port Stevedores’ Union issued a statement saying they are “in tune” with the cultural event and will suspend their demonstrations while the carnival is underway.

“We support and are in tune with the Mil Tambores Carnival, and we commit to the public that this weekend there will be no protests or street blockades, so the festivities can be experienced with joy and safety,” the workers said. The union has staged forceful demonstrations this week, including barricades in Barrio Puerto.

“We know our mobilizations and methods can cause discomfort for residents, but as port workers we are not used to staying silent in the face of an exploitative employer who earns millions in profits at the expense of us and the work we do on the docks every day,” the union added.

“We call on everyone to defend jobs and the value we create, and we hope all people can enjoy the same right to dignified work. This is an important date for the city—for commerce, tourism, and Valparaíso’s culture—and we want to guarantee peace in the city, even though we remain in conflict with the company Report/TPV,” the workers concluded.

Dockworkers are mobilizing over what they describe as “zero progress in rights and benefits” during negotiations with their employer, Report/TPV (Agunsa Group), which holds the concession for Terminal 2 of the port. You can read more in the following story published by El Ciudadano:

Valparaíso Port Stevedores’ Union Protested: Workers Denounce Zero Progress on Labor Rights by the Company

Mil Tambores: 10,000 Artists

Nearly 100 portable toilets and a comprehensive cleaning and security operation have been prepared by the Municipality of Valparaíso for this year’s Mil Tambores Carnival, which in 2025 marks its 26th anniversary.

“We will have our municipal cleaning and power-washing teams on hand so that, once the carnival is over, the city is clean. The goal is for this carnival to be not only important for local economic development but also friendly to those of us who live and work in the city,” said Valparaíso Mayor Camila Nieto on the eve of the event.

For his part, Santiago Aguilar, director of the Mil Tambores Carnival, noted that “more than 100 cultural organizations will be taking part, along with 10,000 popular artists.”

“There will be seven carnival neighborhoods operating on October 4. This is also a key pillar of our carnival, because it was born in the hills of Valparaíso and will continue that way,” Aguilar added. 

El Ciudadano