Virada Cultural


Virada Cultural Paulistana is the biggest 24-hour festival in the world, that began in 2005 and occurs annually in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Events at the Virada Cultural include various live music concerts, films, plays, art exhibits, and other cultural activities and performances. In 2019, has a public expectation of 5 million people and will be the biggest edition of the festival ever held. The event will contain more than 250 event venues, and will feature more than 1200 confirmed attractions.
Since 2007 an increasing number of cities throughout the state of São Paulo have hosted their own events under the name Virada Cultural Paulista. All of the activities in the state of São Paulo, including those in the capital, are sponsored by the state Secretary of Culture and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

History

The Virada Cultural was inspired by the White Night festivals, like Paris's Nuit Blanche, which are held in a number of cities throughout the world.

Timeline

The first Virada Cultural Paulista was held on 19–20 May 2007 in ten cities across the state of São Paulo: Araraquara, Araçatuba, Ribeirão Preto, Sorocaba, São José dos Campos, São José do Rio Preto, Presidente Prudente, Santos, São Paulo, Campinas, and Bauru.
By 2014, the statewide event had grown to include events in 31 municipalities over the course of two weekends with a combined total estimated attendance of 1.4 million people.