With micareta, the joyous and free carnival in Brazil continues throughout the year!!
Born in the north-east of the country, this celebration is focused on the street party. Authentic and friendly, it often involves the use of spectacular trios elétricos to provide the crowd with an unforgettable musical experience. In recent years, some of the micaretas such as Fortal have become gentrified, becoming a paid festival and being held outside the cities dedicated spaces.
Micareta: a festival of Bahian inspiration
The creation of this complementary event to the traditional festivities of entry into Lent dates back to 1937 when heavy rains prevented the carnival from being held at Feira de Santana, in the state of Bahia.
Residents then made the decision not to wait another year to enjoy the planned party, but simply shifted it to a more favorable period weather-wise in late April.
Immediately popular, the micareta turned into an annual rendezvous. It is one of the most famous festive events of the Nordeste alongside the carnival of Salvador.
The “trio elétrico” an essential part of the micareta
Whether parading by, slowly through the crowd amassed in the streets or whether they stay parked to serve a district, the trios elétricos constitute the main animation of a micareta. Borrowed from the Bahian festivities, these high-performance soundtrack trucks make you sing, dance and jump in rhythm with a cascade of sounds.
Have fun in a good natured and family friendly atmosphere and don’t hesitate to dress up!
In small towns, the reduced number of parades compared to the traditional carnival reinforces the exclusive dimension of the event, unlike the large carnival, micareta tend to be more “select”, bringing the most famous singers and selling “abadas” (logoed shirts). Also, tickets are sold at prices inaccessible to the majority of the Brazilian population.
Micareta: Celebrations spread across the country
The Micareta and celebrations of fora epoca (“outside the carnival”) have spread far and wide since the early 1990s to other parts of Brazil.
With our varied accommodation offers, discover the exuberant Carnatal, during the month of December in Natal, one of the largest “off-season” festivities in the country. Also Fortal in Fortaleza in June, to complete a seaside holiday on one of the famous beaches of the region, Jericoacoara or Canoa Quebrada.
