The eighth annual Brazilian Day San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 13 will dazzle with a parade, live music and a street fair featuring Brazilian products and cuisine on the streets of Pacific Beach.
A carnival-style parade with vibrant floats, extravagant costumes and energetic music starting at 3 p.m. is the highlight of the festival. There will also be non-stop entertainment on two stages, including musical bands and dance ensembles. A food court with a vendor’s exhibition and a kids’ zone will round out festivities.
The festival is being conducted between Bayard and Everts streets, just one block from the beach, and will cover five blocks along lively Garnet Avenue. The event provides a day for the entire community to come together to embrace the cultural flavors, sounds and arts of Brazil.
Two stages full of attractions will bring some of the best Brazilian artists and performers throughout California, as well as several artists direct from Brazil.
Billed as the biggest Brazilian Day on the West Coast, event director Paulo Batuta promised San Diego’s version will bring the “spirit of Brazil” to the beachfront. He added the culturally inspired affair will be better than ever this year.
“We’re going to have better costumes and more floats,” Batuta said noting there will be a new type of cuisine, acaraje, deep-fried black-eye peas from West African and Brazil, served this year in the event’s food court.
Batuta noted the 13th is expected to be hot, which he said reminds him of the South American country and is sure to help bring a “Brazilian vibe” to PB.
“Brazilians refer to San Diego as the Rio de Janeiro of the United States,” said Batuta noting Mission Bay’s geography with its beaches and bays is similar to Rio, which is known for its carnivals, samba dance music, Sugarloaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer statue landmarks.
“San Diego is one of the best places for Brazilians to come, many of whom live here,”
added Batuta.
The theme for the 2015 Brazilian Day parade is “The Olympic Spirit,” referring to Rio de Janeiro, which will play host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Festivities will also include a kids zone with face painting, inflatables and activities led by “Nos de Chita,” a performing arts group that involves children in storytelling, body percussion, and games.
This year the Brazilian Day event will be broadcast live by Terra.com, one of the leaders in online Latino media, with a presence in 19 countries including Brazil, U.S., Mexico and Spain.
The eighth annual Brazilian Day San Diego, Street Fair, and Parade is the second largest Brazilian festival in the United States attracting nearly 50,000 attendees annually. It is free and open to the public.
Brazilian Day San Diego is produced by Brazilian Institute for Arts and Culture, a local nonprofit organization. For more information, visit?www.braziliandaysandiego.com. Brazilian Day When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13. Where: Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach. Info: www.braziliandaysandiego.com