Boi Bumba Festival 2023 in Brazil

Boi Bumba, also known as Festa do Boi, is an annual festival held in the Brazilian city of Parintins, Amazonas. Boi Bumba that translates like “Beat the Bull" is one of the largest celebrations in Brazil surpassed only by the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. The three-day festival is a combination of a theatrical performance, music, and dance that takes place in late June. It also features a competition where two teams, Garantido and Caprichoso, retell the local legend about a resurrected ox, breaking into colourful dances, singing, giant puppets, and parading floats. Each team stages a 2,5-hour show based on Amazonian folklore and indigenous believes. Altogether there are six different performances of the same story. The festival attracts about 35,000 people.

Boi Bumba is a great musical and theatrical experience, but also a religious procession, and an indigenous ritual. The three-hour show ends with a major street party for the audience and participants. The streets are full of food, drinks, and music. The main square with its cafes and bars is close to the main stage—the Bumbódromo—and after the performance, the dance and songs of Boi move there. Visitors can listen to the toadas, immerse in the Marujada and the Batucada beats. There is an array of similar festivities in Brazil, but Parintins hosts the biggest and most impressive one.

On the fourth day of the festival, the winner is announced, after which the band and their fans hold a Boi parade around town. People of Parintins are very serious about taking sides and cheering for their teams.