Chile's word for informal gatherings where loosening up is the entire point — spontaneous nights centered on drinking and socializing, never formal celebrations.
Carrete is what Chileans reach for when they're talking about the kind of night where you're not counting drinks or watching the clock. It's the informal gathering — house parties, bar outings, spontaneous get-togethers — where the point is to loosen up and let the night unfold. You wouldn't use this word for a wedding or formal celebration; carrete lives in the space between planning and chaos.
The word comes from film reels, the kind that wind up tight and then unwind. Chileans grabbed that unwinding motion and turned it into a metaphor for what happens when people gather to drink and socialize — you're literally unwinding, letting go of whatever tension the week built up. It emerged sometime in the 1980s-1990s and spread through everyday conversation until it became the default word across the entire country.
What makes carrete distinctly Chilean is that spontaneity is the point. These aren't events you RSVP to or dress up for — they're the nights that start with a text and end at sunrise. The culture around it runs deep enough that Chileans will tell you they feel like they missed something essential if they never experienced university carretes. It's not just about the gathering itself; it's about belonging to the social fabric where these nights happen.