Why go
Tamborrada gives a reason to see Parte Vieja as a place of public ritual, especially around Plaza de la Constitución. Watch for the contrasting cooks' and soldiers' dress and the use of barrels as drums. If travelling for the event, check the current route and timing before choosing a viewing place.
The full story
The modern Tamborrada grew out of older Saint Sebastian's Day and carnival customs in a city once enclosed by walls. Accounts link its playful drumming to people imitating military processions with buckets and other objects. That origin is a tradition rather than a fully settled historical account, but it explains the deliberate contrast between soldiers and cooks in today's companies. During the nineteenth century, costumes, parades and music gradually took a more recognizable form; composer Raimundo Sarriegui supplied tunes associated with the celebration. The city's flag ceremony in Plaza de la Constitución gives the day a civic centre, while drumming groups carry the sound through other streets. A children's Tamborrada was added in the twentieth century. The celebration is therefore both a street event and a way of remembering the city's military past through humor and music.