Holidays and Festivals in Brazil

Brazil is so much more than the carnival in Rio. If you are planning to visit Brazil then try and take in some of the local holidays and festivals to get a bit of Brazilian culture.

Brazil’s most famous festival is of course the carnival in Rio. If you are planning a trip to Brazil then it is good to know that there are plenty of other holidays and festivals all year round. All of the holidays and festivals here are provided in monthly order to help you plan your trip to take in some of these celebrations.

Holidays and Festivals in January:

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Festa de Iemanja: Rio de Janeiro; Procissao do Senhor Bom Jesus dos Navegantes: Salvador (Bahia)
Lavagem do Bonfim: Second Thursday in January: Salvador ( Bahia)
Bom Jesus dos Navegantes: Four days after the second Sunday in January, Penedo (Algagoas)
Festa de Santo Amaro: 24th January to 2nd February, Santa Amaro (Bahia)

Holidays and Festivals in February:

Festa de Iemanja: 2nd February, Salvador (Bahia)
Shrove Tuesday and Carnaval: Varies between February and March depending on Easter.

Holidays and Festivals in March:

Semana Santa: The week before Easter in March or April. Celebrations in Congonhas (Ouro Preto) and Goias Velho.

Holidays and Festivals in April:

Micareta: In April or early May, Feira de Santana (Bahia)

Holidays and Festivals in May:

Festa do Divino Espirito Santo: In May or June, 40 days after Easter, Parati (Rio de Janeiro)
Cavalhada: 45 days Easter, Pirenopolis
Festa do Divino: First Sunday after Ascension Day, Alcantara (Maranhao)

Holidays and Festivals in June:

Festas Juninas: Throughout June in the state of Rio
Festival Folclorico do Amazonas: Manaus (Amazonas)
Festa de Sao Joao: June 22nd to 24th, Parintins (Amazonas)
Boi-Bumba: 3 days in late June, Parintins (Amazonas)
Bumba Men Boi: Late June to the second week of August, Sao Luis (Maranhoa)

Holidays and Festivals in July:

Regata de Jangadas: Second half of July, Fortaleza (Ceara)
Festival de Danca: Joinville (Santa Catarina)
Carnaval For a-de-Epoca: Last week of July, Fortaleza (Ceara)

Holidays and Festivals in August:

Festa da NS de Boa Morte: Middle of August, Cachoeira (Bahia)
Festa de Iemanja: August 15th, Fortaleza (Ceara)
Festa de NS d’Ajuda: Augurst 15th, Porto Seguro (Bahia)
Folclore Nordestino: Late August, Olinda (Pernambuco)

Holidays and Festivals in September:

Festa de NS de Nazare: September 7th to 8th, Saquarema (Rio de Janeiro)
Festa de NS dos Remedios: September 8th, Parati (Rio de Janeiro)
Festa do Caire: 2nd week of September, Alter do Chao (Para)
Jubileu do Senhor Bom Jesus do Matosinhos: September 7th to 14th, Cogonhas (Minas Gerais)

Holidays and Festivals in October:

Cirio de Nazare: Second Sunday of October, Belem (Para)
Festa de NS Aparecida: October 12th, Aparecida (Sao Paulo)
Oktoberfest: Middle two weeks of October, Blumenau (Santa Catarina)

Holidays and Festivals in November:

Festa do Padre Cicero: November 1st to 2nd, Juazeiro do Norte (Ceara)

Holidays and Festivals in December:

Carnatal: First week of December, Natal (Rio de Grande do Norte)
Festa de Santa Barbara: December 4th to 6th, Salvador (Bahia)

This is not an exhaustive list of holidays and festivals in Brazil but will give you an idea of where to go to catch some Brazilian culture, music and dance.