Festivals and Annual Events

The Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) is one of the world’s most anticipated international events. Started in 1996, the SPFW is held at Ibirapuera Park twice a year. The Fashion Week in January features the fall collection while its June counterpart showcases the spring collection. The SPFW can be described as “fashion for a cause” since it is known for endorsing anti-hunger, poverty, cancer, AIDS and pro-environment-related campaigns. The Fashion Week is attended by the who’s who of Sao Paulo and indeed of the world, as international brands such as Versace, Chanel, and Gucci, among others, show their collections here.

The Sao Paulo Carnival, a colorful, festive affair, pays homage to the highly energetic dance genre: The Samba. Many of the city’s Samba schools participate and compete in this weekend carnival hoping to win the Samba Award. While the Carnival is nothing like the one that takes place in Rio de Janeiro, it is still quite popular given that it is cheap and is not very commercial. The parade that finally leads to the Samba competition in the Sambadrome is worth watching -those in Sao Paulo in February should not miss it.

The Cultura Inglesa Festival comprises dance performances, exhibitions, and musical acts.

The Electronic Language International Festival is the biggest art and technology festival held in Brazil and aims to promote new media art that is gaining popularity. The focus is mostly on digital media.

The Festa da Achiropita or Achiropita Festival is an Italian festival organized by a church in the city and takes place for roughly ten days. The festival celebrates Italian traditions and sells Italian food, handicrafts, and the like.

The Salão Internacional da Indústria do Transporte Or the International Transport Industry Show takes places once every two years and features the latest trends in the automotive industry. Manufacturers from around the world come here and display their latest products in a bid to seek buyers.

The Brazilian Grand Prix (F1 Grand Prix Interlagos) is part of the circuit training of the Formula One championship and has seen some of the best Formula One drivers train and compete. The race started in 1972 and has since seen extremely memorable grand prix moments and has introduced what are known as world-class Formula One drivers.

Mostra Internacional de Cinema Sao Paulo or the International Film Festival, kicked off in 1977 and is significant because it brings to light some interesting and relevant movies from international cinema.

The Bienal de Sao Paulo a cultural and arts event, takes place every two years. Each Bienal is based on a certain theme around which all art exhibits are centered. It is one of the biggest Brazilian (as well as international) art exhibitions in the world and has the patronage of many industrialists. Among the aims of this exhibition is the broadening of knowledge and understanding of art that is not native to Brazil. Bienal also aims to promote Brazilian art in other countries.

The Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre or the Saint Silvester Road Race, takes place on the oldest and one of the most significant streets of Sao Paulo. The race occurs on December 31, the day Saint Silvester (a Catholic saint) died. While the race is shorter than a marathon (9.3 miles), heat and various natural obstacles make the race difficult for competitors.