Brazilian Real Exchange RateCarnatal
The Carnatal is here! That is, Natal’s carnival – Natal is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Strictly speaking, we are dealing here with a micareta (a carnival that takes places outside the carnival period). It is the largest of such carnivals in the whole of Brazil, gathering more than one million people during four days of non-stop partying. It is the fourth largest carnival in Brazil (after Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador de Bahia) and the one that brings together the biggest amount of baiano artists (not counting Salvador’s carnival, of course).
If you are keen on experiencing a carnival in Brazil, the Carnatal is an excellent option: not as overcrowded as the most popular carnivals, much safer, and considerably cheaper.
The Carnatal is very much like a smaller version of the Salvador de Bahia carnival. It has nothing to do with Rio and São Paulo carnivals. In Natal the dominant rhythm is axé – from Bahía, although a new fussion of axé baiano and forró nordestino, known as forroaxé, is becoming increasingly popular.
Photograph by Humberto Lopes, reproduced with permission.
WHEN DOES IT TAKE PLACE?
This year the Carnatal will take place between 29 November and 2 December. Its dates usually coincide with the first weekend in December and the Thursday and Friday previous to that.
WHERE DOES IT TAKE PLACE?
The Carnatal parades along a 3.5 km circuit that begins and ends in the Avenida Prudente de Morais. The artists perform on top of gigantic juggernauts [trucks], with larger than life loudspeakers on its sides.
HOW CAN I TAKE PART?
There are four different ways you can take part in the Carnatal: the bloco, the camarotes, the arquibancada and the pipoca. For the first three you need to buy a sleeveless t-shirt (abadá) in advance. It’s your passport to the Carnatal.
- bloco: to be able to parade along a bloco you need an abadá. A bloco is a group of people with the same shirt parading along the same trio elétrico. The price of the abadás for the best blocos is expensive. All blocos have their own security staff. The trio elétrico is followed by a support truck with bars from where drinks are served (drinks are usually free for the members of the bloco), toilets and medical assistance. You need to be physically fit to take part in a bloco, after all, it’s a minimum of 10.5 km of non-stop jumping and dancing. There will be 9 blocos this year: bloco Nana Babana, bloco Cerveja & Coco, bloco Eva, bloco Bicho, bloco Cajú, bloco Me Leva, bloco Burro Elétrico, bloco Aviões Elétrico y bloco Cidadão Nota 10.
- camarotes (= boxes). Though there are small boxes, usually hired by companies or private individuals for a minimum of 20 people, there are large boxes open to those who have bought a ticket for them. This year there will be three large camarotes: SkolBeat, Donna Donna y Cabo Fox. They have bands playing between the passage of one trio elétrico and the following one, a closed space with a DJ where you can dance electronic music, several bars with free drinks, and a few food stands (in some camarotes food is free). One side of each box faces the circuit; from there you can watch the trios elétricos and the blocos parading. The camarote is where more foreigners are seen.
- arquibancada (= stands): stands found along the circuit. Family atmosphere and very few foreigners. The t-shirts that give access to the stands are affordable, approximately 30 Brazilian reais per day. The stands are usually crowded. Chemical toilets are found.
- pipoca: it’s the Carnatal on the street, outside the boundaries of the official parade; for that reason, it is free. Not recommended for foreigners, as the big crowds draw a few bad characters along.
Prices are approximate and tend to increase as the dates of the Carnatal approach.
The following artists have had their presence at the Carnatal confirmed: Ivete Sangalo, Chiclete com Banana, Asa de Águia, Babado Novo, Margareth Menezes, Timbalada, Araketu, Jammil e Uma Noites, Ricardo Chaves, Thábata, Lane Cardoso, Banda Eva, Netinho, Capilé and the forró groups Aviões do Forró and Cavaleiros do Forró.
ADVICE:
- wear comfortable clothing, Bermuda shorts or jeans, and tennis shoes (no flip-flops/thongs or shoes)
- leave your ID at the safe of your hotel; just take a photocopy along with you
- bring only the amount of money you reckon you will need for the day, and keep it in a safe place. Be discreet when you handle your money
- don’t let alcohol ruin the party for you.
The official website of the Carnatal ocassionally broadcasts the event life. What follows here is a promotional video of the Carnatal.
[youtube]h6jBiDIk5MU[/youtube]
P.S.: the merit of this entry belongs to Ke_rule, a blog reader who fell in love with Natal.
Hello,
Just wondering if it’s possible to hire scooters and honda cbr style motorbikes in lagoa de conceciao and if so do you know how much they cost?
Jay, sorry I missed your latest query. Check out Vivo, Claro and Oi.
r harper, you can hire scooters indeed. I have no direct references of them but check out Locomotos. They are based at the Lagoa and the link I have given you leads to their English website. They should be able to sent you up to date costs. All the best.
What about 600cc bikes is that possible? I seen a video where there was loads of different bikes lined up on the street do they belong to people or for hire?
Thanks
RH
Hi
Loved your blog .. lots of useful information. I also have one about Rio de Janeiro. When you have a chance take a look – whereisriodejaneiro.com. I live in Rio and I love this city. Anything other info you need regarding Rio me let me know.
Great Job !!!
I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you there. My advice would be to contact any of the rental companies.
Monica, thanks for passing by. I’ve unsuccesfully tried to view your blog – using both Firefox and Explorer. I can view the header and the sidebar, but the content appears blank.
Hi all,
I have the opporunity to go to Florianopolis and Camboriu for cheap transportation and hotel. I’m going for 6 days, and I want to know about how much I would spend. We’re going to try to keep it on the cheap, packed lunches and such, but I’m also a splurger. What do you think?
Hi Tony,
Wonder if you could give some handy advice, would be much appreciated.
Me and my gf are staying in florianapolis for 10 days during the carnavale period, but we’re hoping to rent a car and travel around the surrounding area of South-Eastern Brazil for about 5 days. Are there any particular areas or destinations you would reccomend- particularly interested in beaches, nature, cool cities/villages. Bearing in mind that we cant stray too far as we have return flights from Floripa.
Thank you!!!
Aikopora, you don’t mention the dates of your intented travel, which can make a huge difference. But I’d say on a tight budget you’d get away on R$80 a day.
Pavel, the coast of Florianópolis and the continent nearby are really beautiful but during the carnival it will be very crowded with huge traffic jams. I need to tell you this as getting from one place to another is quite simple during the low season, not so much during the holiday periods. In any case, one of the most beautiful beach resorts near Florianópolis is Bombas/Bombinhas (search for it on Google Maps and you will find its location). It is north of Florianópolis on the way to Balneário Camboriú. South of Florianópolis and also within reach is Praia do Rosa (south of Garopaba), another highly recommended beach spot.
Now, if you really wanted to go for something spectacular and really different, you could drive up to Cambará do Sul, your base for visiting the National Park of Aparados da Serra with two awesome canyons. But you would need to spend at least one night there (if not 2) to be able to cover a small portion of the park.
Search here for info: http://aparadosdaserra.net/
And at the bottom of this page for photos: http://www.guiaaparadosdaserra.com.br/16/fotos/
Hope I have given you some interesting ideas. All the best!
hi there
I’m travelling to Enchanted Mountain near Garopaba for a yoga course whic doesn’t start until 3rd Jan, leaving me in the unenviable position of trying to find last min accommodation (budget if poss) either in Florianopolis, Garopaba or Pria da Rosa – or in fact anywhere with availability!
Can you recommend anywhere I can try as so far I’m having no luck at all!
Wow…that national park looks stunning. I think thats definitely worth a visit. Thanks so much Tony, your country is amazing.
Rachel, oh dear, I’m afraid finding accommodation in a top beach destination right at the beginning of the high season is a tall order. You could start by scanning the accommodation listings I have published. As well as the one listed on this blog’s post I’ve got one for Praia do Rosa. Have a look also at the Ibis hotel chain, you never know.
Pavel, that national park is top of my wish list!
Great post, i’m living in Arraial d’Ajuda and the best time to come is in the low season!! New year and carnaval is just overcrowded and more expensive… Best time: march to june!
Hi there,
So I’m trying to book a flight with GOL airlines and they are asking for my CPF and after doing some research I’ve found that its a Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas. But since I’m not Brazilian I dont have a CPF. Does anyone know how to get around this?
Thanks
Lisa
In Broduei is opening a new bar of a friend of mine, it’s called Bar do Andy, it’s located near the middle of Broduei. He’s trying to get some of that old broduei and Arraial d’Ajuda feeling back.
Were all the tourists always go to “the more popular” beaches like Parracho and Pitinga, we locals enjoy more the other side like with beaches like Praia Apaga Fogo, d’Ajuda,dos nativos. Here you will find relaxed beachbars like the bar called Sting with good and different music, far away from the tourist madness!
Rua do Mudugê is also allready changed a lot, fewer bars and more restaurants… seems like Arraial d Ajuda is changing… more condominiums than pousadas or hotels.
It’s just not like it just to be.
Tim
Indeed praia do espelho is beautifull but only with sun and low tide! All the beaches in Arraial d’Ajuda,Trancoso and Caraiva are best to visit with low tide and on a sunny day.
Personnaly i like Arraial d’Ajuda better because there’s more to do and see. Trancoso is beautifull but there’s not a the same amount of options that Arraial d’Ajuda has.
Another beautfull thing in Arraial d’Ajuda is seeing the full moon rise from out the sea!
Eather on the beach or behind the church where you have a beautifull view also during the day!
It’s sad to see that so many beautifull beaches are being polluted by chaotic urban development and environmental crime, this time it’s not the rich and famous who try to build their houses anywhere the want, but still, where is Ibama???
I’ve not seen this yet but need to check it out! Just in case you’re interested, I found a more detailed page with some background resources (photos, information about the artists, tracklistings etc) on the BBC site here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/brasilbrasil/
Hope that helps!
Cheers, Suzy
Suzy, that is smashing, thanks a lot. I’ve added the link to the main text. All the best!
Lisa, at Gol’s home page, select “other countries” from the menu at the top right of the page and proceed with your booking from there.
So I switched that and now it doesn’t want to accept my VISA card, it keeps giving me 2 different error messages that are you in Portugeuse. Perhaps I should just try calling them!
Lisa, if calling Gol is an option that would definitely be my choice. Purchasing tickets from Gol is a permanent source of headaches for non-residents. In case you didn’t see it, this is Gol’s section on how to pay. All the best!
A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work.
Indeed. There are plenty of fishing opportunities in the region if that’s what you’re interested in.
Hi Tony,
I was searching for some pictures and information about São Luís – MA because I’m going to spend a week with my mom there, and lucky I’ve found your pictures on flickr and this useful blog. Congratulations for your work.
Because I live in the northeast area, in Paraíba state, I searched for some info here from where I live in your blog but I couldn’t find any.
I hope you have a chance to search and know Paraíba state one day and register the beauty we have here.
Good job.
Sandra, thanks for your kind comments. I haven’t visited Paraíba yet, we have a post on links: João Pessoa but that’s it. I assume you’ve already seen our posts on Lençóis Maranhenses and São Luís. Have a great trip in Maranhão!
[...] 6 January, 2010 by expatbrazil Brazil Travel Blog » the situation in Ilha Grande after the tragedy. [...]
[...] CLICK HERE to go to site [...]