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Festivals in Brazil

Partying runs in the blood of most Brazilians, and their festivals are a good excuse to do it longer and harder!

Festivals in Brazil - Carnaval - end of January/beginning of February No one celebrates Lent quite like the Brazilians and carnaval (Portuguese for carnival) makes our evening of pancake tossing look a little tame. Beginning on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday, carnaval lasts for five days and sees people taking to the streets, plazas and parks to dance, sing, bang drums, sport colourful but scant costumes and generally throw themselves headlong into hedonism.

In Rio de Janeiro, groups of musicians known as blocos parade the streets and samba schools compete in a specially built exhibition centre called the Sambadrome.

Carnaval balls - expensive, glamorous affairs usually held in hotels - are another highlight. If you don't have the money for a ticket, it's worth going to watch the guests arrive in their glad rags.

Some people would argue that Rio is the place to be for carnaval but other places stage interesting variations. Frevo rhythms are blasted out in Recife and all types of music can be heard in Salvador.

Festivals in Brazil - Boi Bumba - 3 days in June - the Bumbódromo, Parintins, on the island of Tupinambarana Two teams use technicolour characters and super-size puppets to tell and retell the story of two slaves and a bull. The Bumbódromo stadium takes on the appearance of a football stadium as each set of fans cheer for their team. Marujada and batucada beats reverberate across the town, and there are the usual fireworks, food, drink and exuberant dancing. It's a two-day boat trip to get there, but the isolation only adds to the atmosphere.

Festivals in Brazil - Bumba Meu Boi - June/August - São Luís The original version of Boi Bumba, Bumba Meu Boi goes on for much longer than the one taken to Parintins by immigrants. Performances take place every night across São Luís.

Festivals in Brazil - Festas juninas - June A few months after carnival are the festas juninas (June festivals), when children dress up and paper balloons are sent into the sky, propelled by candles.

Festivals in Brazil - Folclore Nordestino - end of August - Olinda If you're near Olinda, look out for this celebration of folklore and music from the North East of Brazil.

Festivals in Brazil

Festivals in Brazil - Cirio de Nazaré - October - Belém At the centre of this high-spirited festival is the Virgin of Nazaré, an image of whom is carried to the basilica on the second Sunday of October. Although it's a religious festival, and people consider it an honour to touch the effigy, there's no shortage of the jubilance (or drink!) you find at other Brazilian festivals. Weird and wonderful goods are sold at the port fair.

Festivals in Brazil - regional celebrations Many towns and villages hold festivals in honour of local saints - ask at the tourist office for details.

Festivals in Brazil - football matches! Brazil is synonymous with football and matches are mini festivals in themselves. The stadiums are impressive when empty (particularly Rio's Maracanã stadium), but once full they become a sea of colourful flags and noisy hooters.
Best of all, tickets are often available on the turnstiles and cost considerably less than they in Britain.

If you're thinking about a trip to Brazil, even if it's not for the festivals in Brazil, check out our programmes below for great ideas for a gap trip to Brazil.


	Brazil Beginner Rock Climbing Course

Complete novices can learn and test their skills above one of the world’s most spectacular cities, Rio de Janeiro. You’ll have the chance to climb Sugar Mountain and to explore the sights in your free time.


	Brazil Environment Education and Theatre Onboard

Board a specially designed boat and get creative about teaching children to preserve the environment. Plant trees with them, help them put on a green-themed play and get involved with a cinema project.


	Brazil Floating School and Capoeira

Take part in a truly unique project. Give English lessons in the morning, help build the touring, floating school in the afternoon then learn capoeira from locals in the evening. No experience needed, just enthusiasm!


	Brazil Martial Arts Experience

Learn capoeira, jiu-jitsu and Portuguese while living just minutes from Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Visit a samba school, sunbathe on the beach or admire the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in your free time.


	Brazil Pantanal Research and Conservation

Carry out research to help conserve the lush wetlands of the Pantanal, home to hundreds of species. You’ll track peccaries and other animals, collecting data and observing their behaviour. Meals will include freshly caught fish!


	Brazil Portuguese Language School

Learn what you need to get around Brazil through small, relaxed classes that encourage conversation. You’ll stay with a family in Rio and extra curricular fun could include sunbathing on Copacabana beach or climbing Sugarloaf Mountain!


	Brazil Tennis Coaching

If you like tennis, this is an opportunity to teach it to deprived children in Belo Horizonte. You’ll also learn Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, with time to explore some of the most beautiful areas of Brazil.


	Brazil Youth Outreach

Help brighten up the lives of underprivileged children in Rio. Whether you teach them English, play games with them or run arts and crafts sessions, you’ll improve their self-confidence and social skills.


	Brazilian Beats and Learning Portuguese

Get to the heart of a country famous for its music. Learn the lingo and discover the secrets of drumming and capoeira. You’ll stay in Salvador, the home of rhythm and the capital of joy.


	Community Support in Rio Brazil

Help out a city with exceptional levels of poverty by teaching English and organising fun activities. Your work will keep children off the streets, contribute to their social wellbeing and show them how to enjoy their childhood.


	Education Centre, Recife Brazil

Give children in the most deprived part of Brazil the chance of a better future by teaching football, English or arts and crafts. You’ll get the feel-good factor and they’ll get improved social skills, more confidence and brighter prospects.


	Football Academy Brazil

Hone your skills in the Real Sport football academy, run by former World Cup defender, Jose Oscar Bernardi. Focus areas include passing, dribbling and finishing. Plus, you’ll get a unique insight into the Brazilian passion for football.


	Online TEFL Course 40 Hour

This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. This 40 hour online TEFL course allows you to learn at your own pace, when and where you like, to fit around your life schedule allowing flexibility and plenty of time for you to gain the most out of the course.


	Online TEFL Course 60 Hour

This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. A 60 hour online TEFL course that is slightly more comprehensive with an extra 20 hours gaining a specialist certificate in grammar. Learn at your own pace online and gain your TEFL qualification in your own time!


	Online TEFL Course 80 Hour

This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. A complete and comprehensive 80 hour online TEFL course that includes everything that the 40 and 60 hour courses include with the addition of 20 hours in 4 specialist teaching certificates and a lifetime access to teaching helpdesk.


	Roads to Success in Rio Brazil

Make a difference to a community that is slowly but surely helping itself. Get involved with one of several successful projects, teaching English, taking craft sessions, coaching sports, promoting dancing or helping in other ways.


	Streets to Success in Recife Brazil

Teach English, take part in vocational and health workshops, organise leisure activities and help with fundraising. You’ll give people of all ages the chance of a better education and a better life.


	Support for Blind People in Florianopolis Brazil

Work with the blind and help reintegrate them back into society. Accompany them on visits, run dance sessions, help with occupational activities and get involved in promoting the work of the centre.


	Teach English in Brazil

Get a recognised TEFL certificate, teach English to disadvantaged children and make a valuable difference to many lives. Any extra time you spend with them – even just helping brush their hair - will be gratefully received.


	Your Complete South America Gap Year

Do what most people only dream of! Learn Spanish, take salsa or cooking classes, visit Machu Picchu, explore the Amazon, marvel at Lake Titicaca and take part in wildlife or community projects.