Brazilica Festival in Liverpool (Photo: Matt Hart)
When: 14th July 2018
Where: Liverpool city centre, Merseyside
£: Free (some events are ticketed)
What is it?
Brazilica, the UK’s largest samba carnival, will be taking place in Liverpool this weekend, with a night-time parade, live music and film screenings.
Brazilica 2018 forms part of the city-wide year-long cultural programme of events, as Liverpool celebrates its ten-year anniversary of being named Capital of Culture.
The sights, sounds, and tastes of Brazil will take over the streets once again, with the return of the Brazilian Film Festival and a Fringe Festival packed with exhibitions, workshops and performances.
The Carnival Queen competition will take place at Circo this Friday (13th July) at 8pm. The competition, hosted by Claire Simmo, is a free event with the public welcome to attend. The winner will lead the night-time Carnival Parade on Saturday 14th July.
The Brazilica Carnival Parade will start from Abercromby Square at 8pm, before winding its colourful way down Oxford Street, Hope Street, Hardman Street and Bold Street. It will then travel through the middle of town in Church Street before finishing at Williamson Square.
An array of musicians from across the globe will bring the pulsating sounds of Brazilian/Afro Latin music to the banks of the Mersey during the day on Saturday, with acts taking to the stage from 12pm to 8pm.
The festival will return to the Pier Head Village, located on the city’s world heritage waterfront, which will be transformed into a riot of colour, along with Brazilian beats.
Among the performers will be French/Brazilian artist Agathe Iracema, who brings her own unique blend of Brazilian music to the festival; percussion-driven electronic quartet Penya who will have crowds moving with their tribal, alternative dance floor take on Afro-Latin inspired beats; the ‘seriously funky’ The Fontanas with their Brazilian funk-meets-Latin Ska, and vocalist Sueli G.
Completing the main stage programme will be Rio de Janeiro born singer-songwriter Aleh Ferreira, whose versatile composing skills infuse Latin funk, Afro-soul, reggae and samba rock that will have the main stage a buzz with samba sounds.
There will also be Carnival DJs taking to the stage, keeping the samba beats going, performing throughout the day. The samba party will then continue until the early hours with the official Brazilica After Party taking place at Camp and Furnace on the Saturday (entry £5).
The 2018 event will also see the return of the Brazilica Film Festival, where film buffs can enjoy eight films celebrating Brazilian life and culture. Films will be screened at various venues across the city, from 16th to 30th July, including FACT, the Bombed Out Church and Camp and Furnace, and will cover a wide variety of genres including comedy, drama, biography and documentaries.
More info: brazilicafestival.co.uk
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