When is the Fortaleza carnival 2023?
What is the date for Fortaleza Carnival? In 2023, the date for Fortaleza carnival will be held between February 17 until 22, 2023. However, there will be some pre-carnival events that start taking place from the week before to kickstart the carnival.
Where is the Fortaleza carnival?
The epicenter of the Fortaleza Carnival is Fortaleza. This is the capital city that is situated in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. Fortaleza is regularly featured as a top holiday destination for visitors from Brasilia.
Avenida Domingos Olímpio, located in the city center, is where most of the Fortaleza Carnival activities are concentrated. Most of the blocos take place around this area. There are also concert stages set up where countless live entertainment is put on during the duration of carnival.
What is the Fortaleza carnival?
The Fortaleza Carnival is a five day, colorful carnival celebration that takes place every year before Lent. Many people think about Rio or Salvador when it comes to celebrating carnival in Brazil, but Fortaleza is actually considered one of the top destinations to celebrate carnival in Brazil! In fact, Carnival in Fortaleza attracts over 150,000 people to the capital of Ceará and hotel occupancy nearly hits full capacity, with around 92% occupancy rate during carnival.
Carnival in Fortaleza is a time when all colors of the rainbow unite together. It doesn’t matter your age, race or background, there is something for everyone. Entire families celebrate carnival together, from the kids to the grandparents. With several blocos thrown just for families! No one is excluded from attending a carnival party here.
How do they celebrate carnival in Fortaleza – Brazil?
Carnival in Fortaleza is celebrated with lots of parties, parades, music, dance, drinking, eating and general merriment. In the lead up to carnival there are lots of pre-carnival events and parties. This carnival holds many street parties, known as blocos. There are also parades, featuring amazing floats, costumes and performances. There are also live stages set up that feature countless music concerts and live entertainment, throughout the duration of carnival.
The Fortaleza Carnival also known as the Ceará Carnival promotes the culture and art of each of the participating regions. It is a colorful carnival celebration where the streets and avenues become alive with carnival spirit.
During carnival there are lots of blocos (street parties) where they parade the streets singing, dancing and partying the day away. During carnivals there are acrobatic shows that have become increasingly famous in recent years, even attracting visitors by international tourists.
Carnival features plenty of musical performances by various Brazilian artists and parades in each of the streets of Fortaleza. The Ceará Carnival does not have a fixed point where the events take place, but is generally held in Praia de Iracema, Avenida Domingos Olímpio and Praça do Ferreira.
The pre-carnival parties take place every weekend prior to carnival and take place in Praçado Ferreira. These warm-up parties are filled with the flavor and rhythm of the Brazilian melodies that are danced all over the world and are superfluous during carnival.
In Praia de Iracema you can see dancers enjoying the Maracatú, which is the oldest Afro-Brazilian musical rhythm in this country. It mixes Indian and European cultural elements that make it a very pleasant and catchy melody.
The different carnival associations of Fortaleza join together to perform in an official parade on Avenida Domingos Olímpio. However, in the neighborhood streets and city squares you are able to enjoy artists performing from different localities.
Fortaleza Pre- Carnival
In the lead up to carnival, there are loads of pre-carnival events taking place in the city. Starting around mid-January, there are already pre-carnival blocos occuring in the cities streets, beaches and squares. The main pre-carnival blocos will take place at Mercado de Aerolândia, Mercado dos Pinhão, Praça do Ferreira, Benfica and Passeio Público.
There are also numerous private carnival parties taking place including the Pre-Carnaval of Meu Bloco É Neon, the Bloquinho de Verão and the Bloquinho Goxtoso.
The Blocos – Carnival Street Parties
What are blocos? Blocos, also known as street parties that take place during carnival. For five wild days people dressed up in costumes sing, dance, kiss and drink the days and nights away. It isn’t carnival without attending a blocos.
Traditionally, the main spots where the street parties take place are: Iracema Beach, Ferreira Square, Domingos Olímpio Avenue, Mocinha Bar, Pinhões Market and, Aerolândia Market.
Here are some of the top blocos in Fortazela:
- Abaterça: Abaeté is one of the best places to enjoy carnival in Fortaleza. Abaeterça is one of the best places to meet up for musicians and revelers who camp out in front of the place to put on live entertainment. The Abaeterça Parades takes place on Carnival Tuesday.
- Batuque Streetcar Blocos: This blocos is dedicated to samba music. This blocos guarantees lots of fun and celebration. The highlight of this blocos is the drum set made up of professional percussionists who rehearse the whole year for carnival.
- Drumstick Blocos: The Baqueta Clube de Ritmistas was a project that emerged that was dedicated to a love of Samba music. This is one of the largest blocos in the city. It is about bringing people together who want to party to the wonderful sounds of samba.
- Village Luxury: This is one of the biggest blocos in the city. This blocos is a traditional carnival party attended by thousands that is held at Aterrinho da Praia de Iracema. Everyone attends this party from young to old, essentially you can see entire families here. During pre-carnival, Luxo da Aldeia will perform in various places throughout the city including the beaches, Mercado dos Pinhão and Praça do Ferreira.
- United of the Dog: This is an awesome blocos with its own flair. Revelers are guaranteed a great time dancing the day away to the sound of baião, pé de serra, xote and similar forró music.
- The Bloco Bons Amigos – Good friends: This is an awesome blocos that was inspired by the famous Samba School, Mangueira. This blocos has been going for over ten years and its drum set is linked to the Rio de Janeiro school.
- Ladies Courting: This features a female percussion group and takes to the streets to celebrate female empowerment. In their repertoire, they feature songs about women wanting equality.
Where to stay in Fortaleza – Brazil?
There are plenty of great accommodation options in Fortaleza to suit all types of budgets and levels of comfort.
Here are some of the best accommodation options close to Fortaleza Carnival:
- Maredomus Hotel
- Hotel Praia Centro
- Aquidaban
- Holiday Inn Fortaleza
- Praiano Hotel
- Ibis Praia de Iracema
- Gran Mareiro Hotel
- Crocobeach Hotel
Check out Booking.com for some great accommodation deals in Fortaleza.
Book your Hotel and Flight for the Fortaleza Carnival
What to do and see at the Fortaleza carnival?
Even if you visit Fortaleza for the carnivals that take place there, you can also enjoy its tourist and commercial spaces such as:
- Praia do Futuro: it is one of the beaches that you cannot miss if you visit Fortaleza, as it has everything to spend a great day in company or alone, depending on your preference.
- Praia de Iracema: this beach is one of the most frequented by tourists and local residents, because the peace and calm that you feel there is unmatched. Do not miss it!
- Jardim Japonês: the Japanese Garden of Fortaleza has a unique design and a great variety of aquatic elements. Entrance is totally free. Get to know it!
- Beach Park: if you are an adventure lover you must visit the Beach Park, this water park is located on the beach of Porto das Dunas and has slides of different distances that are adapted according to the preference of each person. It is a space that can be visited with family or with friends who want to live a day totally full of adrenaline and emotion.
- Feirinha Beira Mar: the fair has more than 26 years offering crafts, accessories, local paintings, clothing, among other objects, at a much more affordable price than in shopping centers or stores. You can also enjoy the gastronomy of Fortaleza or other regions of the country.
The artists of the area take advantage of this fair to exhibit everything they are capable of making with totally local products and often handmade. Amazing!
Those who have had the opportunity to visit the fair ensure that they find quality products such as hammocks, handbags, paintings, wallets, among others.
Check out some tours in Fortaleza:
- Jericoacoara Tour in a Full Day – Leaving Fortaleza by Girafatur
- 3 Beaches in 1 Day Tour Leaving Fortaleza
- Full Day Tour to Jericoacoara from Fortaleza
- Canoe Quebrada Full Day Tour – Departure from Fortaleza by Vitorino Turismo
Check out the Top Tours on Viator for Fortaleza here
What to eat at Fortaleza Carnival?
Among the typical foods of Fortaleza is the peixada cearense, a fish stew accompanied with coconut milk and onion, especially for palates that prefer the mixture of flavors and baião de dois, which is a dish created with rice and beans and coalho cheese.
Roasted cashew nuts or infused with herbs is a typical product of Ceará and that you cannot miss when you get to know its gastronomy, which is very special.
Among the places where you can enjoy the most typical dishes of Ceará are: Coco Bambu Beira Mar, Cabaña Del Primo, Cantinho do Frango and João do Bacalhau. Visit them!
Origins of the Fortaleza carnival
What is the history of Fortaleza Carnival? The history of Fortazela Carnival begins with the unification of different European and African ethnic groups that came to Brazil by the Portuguese. The celebration was the result of marked cultural exchanges that occurred at the time.
In Fortaleza, since 1940 there schools that encouraged the cultural training of this celebration. One of the main manifestations for this date was the negrume, which consisted of painting the faces of those who participated in the party in black, as this was a way of commemorating African culture and recognizing the racial inequality that they lived through for many years.
Nowadays, the negrume can generate controversy, since it is considered as a mockery towards Africans, and the tradition has stopped.
Until the 1970s, Fortaleza carnival was seen as a prestigious event, where only people from the elite could participate. But in 1980 things changed and it began to be seen as a commemoration where anyone who wanted could participate.
How to get to Fortaleza – Brazil?
You can get to Fortaleza by plane, train, bus or car, depending on your geographical location.
Fortaleza has the Pinto Martins International Airport, which connects with any country in the world without any problem, allowing tourists to make a trip without so many stops.
If you like train travel, you can order a taxi from the airport to Benfica, where you will take a bus to São Benedito and from there you only have to walk about 10 minutes and you will find yourself in the center of one of the largest and most important carnival celebrations in Brazil.
From Pinto Martins International Airport you can also take a bus that will drop you off directly at Avenida Domingos Olímpio, where the city’s carnival begins.
Is Fortaleza Carnival Safe?
The risk of being mugged in Fortaleza is high, so it is recommended not to carry valuables that are visible and avoid having large sums of cash. Avoid walking the streets alone, especially at midnight, as drug dealers and prostitutes are more frequently seen who can become insistent in offering their services.
If you use the bus to get around you must be careful with your belongings, as thefts have been reported inside them.
Take only official licensed taxis, do not get into any vehicle that is not identified with the service, they can extort money from you.
Pickpockets are found in the city center and on the beaches, always waiting for a tourist, who are usually easy to dupe due to ignorance of thefts.
Like any city, there are areas where the theft rate is much higher, so it is recommended to visit areas that are busy and always try to go in the company of someone else.
We hope we have clarified your doubts and that you are ready to enjoy one of the most joyous festivities in Brazil, the Fortaleza carnival. Enjoy it!