Forget Rio: These Brazilian Cities Go All Out for Carnival
The musical repertoire is almost exclusively composed of traditional ‘marchinhas’ reinvented every year by local groups. (Photo: São Luiz do Paraitinga City Hall)
It’s the biggest party in Brazil: Carnival, aka Carnaval. Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Olinda are the cities most people know about. So they’re also where most tourists go to celebrate, which means massive crowds and out-of-control prices. Instead, check out one of the historical cities of Ouro Preto, Paraty, or São Luiz do Paraitinga. We’ve got the scoop on what makes these three places so amazing.
Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto is famous worldwide for its unique baroque architecture. (Photo by Adam Jones/Flickr)
Ouro Preto (“Black Gold”), a UNESCO World Heritage site 250 miles outside Rio, was the biggest gold-mining city in the country when Brazil was a colonial domain of Portugal. Gorgeous Brazilian baroque architecture and artistic treasures of the 17th and 18th centuries make it a wonderful place to visit, but there’s also a wild, 24-hour Carnival party.
Known as the best Carnival in Minas Gerais, the party in Ouro Preto takes place on the hilly 18th century streets. Ouro Preto has a long history of Carnival celebrations, going back to the 1800s.
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The party in Ouro Preto (Photo: Carlos Rhinck/Flickr)
One of its most famous “blocos” or street parades is the Zé Pereira dos Lacaios, founded in 1867. The oldest in Brazil, this celebration has loads of tradition. But new musical talents also show up every Carnival. If you go there, you will party endlessly, as there are blocos 24 hours a day, from Friday to Wednesday. They also set up in some of the 300 student houses around town, where the revelry is nonstop.
São Francisco de Assis (Photo: Thinkstock)
The Details
Stay: Ideally, stay downtown. Most of the parties happen there, near Praça Tiradentes. It will be noisier, but you’ll waste less time coming and going.
Eat: One of the 18th century houses that you can visit is where a local baroque artist, Mestre Athaíde, used to live. It is now a restaurant, Bené da Flauta, a must if you want to get a little bit of the local flavor (literally). If the weather is hot (and it is almost certain to be — Brazil is expecting one of its hottest summers ever), try the ice cream from Arte e Manha, where the menu has more than 200 choices. The Bar Barroco has the top-rated coxinhas (a Brazilian fried chicken-and-dough) in town. Want some typical food? Restaurante Chafariz and Chão de Minas cook a lot of their food in wood ovens.
Take a rest from Carnival: Please, don’t head home without visiting places like the Casa dos Contos and the churches Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar and São Francisco de Assis. Another unusual feature of the town: gold mines that are open to visitors (some of them are close to downtown).
Paraty
Paraty, founded in 1667, was once the main exit for Brazilian gold going to Portugal. (Foto: Kaká/Flickr)
Paraty is a coastal city, the most southern destination in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Tourists flock to its beaches all year long. During Carnival, the city changes its face to host a lively celebration with many traditional aspects. Its historic buildings provide a charming backdrop for the intense party.
Paraty (45,000 inhabitants) has a similar historical vibe to Ouro Preto. The city reinvented its Carnival a few years ago. Until then, its blocos took over the streets only at night. Now, it’s a celebration 24 hours a day.
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Bloco de Lama (Monica Santos/Flickr)
One of the main blocos, the Arrastão do Jabaquara (“Jabaquara Dragging”) starts at the beach of the same name, literally dragging along everyone on its way: tourists, villagers, inhabitants, and anything breathing. Bloco da Lama (“Mud Block”), another block party, departs from the swamps by Jabaquara beach. For two decades, partygoers have covered themselves in mud and rags, holding skulls, lianas, and bones and headed downtown, joining in war screams, “Uga, uga, rá, rá!”
At night, it is time for the seven Paraty blocos to fill the streets. The Assombrosos do Morro (“The Haunting From the Hill”) offers a different style, with a folk-rooted look based on giant paper dolls and typical Carnival songs from decades ago.
Assombrosos do Morro (Photo: Ricardo Gaspar/paraty.com.br)
The Details
Stay: You’ll find the most charming and expensive hotels near downtown, but you can also go camping.
Eat: Some of the options are gourmet, like the French Le Gite d’Indaiatiba and Voilà Bistrot. Local food can be found at the Banana da Terra and Restaurante Refúgio.
Take a rest from Carnival: Paraty Bay has more than 60 islands, and boat trips are readily available. The region has plenty of waterfalls to explore and, with some luck, you can find one with not too many people.
São Luiz do Paraitinga
São Luiz do Paraitinga (Photo: Diogo Moreira)
São Luiz do Paraitinga is the least-known of the three cities. It was originally a stop for travelers going to the coast to sell carne seca (dried meat). Its quiet landscape was severely hit by a major flood in 2010, and a good part of the city was devastated. Now recovered, the city is once again celebrating Carnival with a very familiar, warm, and deeply rooted party; blocos that engage people of all ages.
However, don’t expect to find the hottest spots of the Brazilian party here. The city has a proud tradition of hosting a family-friendly celebration, with rooted traditions, “marchinhas,” and people of all ages all mixed up.
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(Photo: São Luiz do Paraitinga City Hall)
Once you’re in the streets, you’ll be able to see how the original, traditional Carnival was once celebrated. People wear costumes and tease each other — but in a very respectful and warm manner. It’s a far cry from the sexy party atmosphere you find in world-famous Rio and Salvador.
The bloco of Juca Teles, the oldest in town, was named after a local who fought to keep the tradition alive. People sing and parade through the city wearing colorful clothes made from chita, a cheap Brazilian cotton textile. The Maricota costumes are made of tin; they replicate the big paper dolls that once were a Carnival trademark in Brazil. This tin is also used to create very simple instruments.
(Photo: São Luiz do Paraitinga City Hall)
The Details
Stay: During Carnival, hotel, hostels, and campsites are jammed with people. Make reservations in advance. Or consider renting a house or a room from one of a local family through AirBnB.
Eat: Restaurants like Cantinho dos Amigos and Canto da Praça will offer you a genuine flavor of the local, “caipira” food from the Vale do Paraíba region. In the City Market, you’ll also find traditional candies and the chita textile, with which you can make your costume.
Take a rest from Carnival: The local architecture provides you an idea of what a city in the region looked like at the beginning of the 20th century. Eco-tourism is now very strong in the region, with waterfalls, trails, trekking, and rafting options. Check out Núcleo Santa Virgínia at the Serra do Mar State Park to learn more about these kinds of activities.
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