A free Carnival ramp procession takes over Sesc 24 de Maio on Saturdays, bringing four street blocs ahead of February.
Sesc 24 de Maio is warming up São Paulo’s season with Eu Vou Botar Meu Bloco na Rampa, a series that turns the building’s iconic ramps into a moving parade route. Four groups perform on Saturdays from January 17 through February 7, starting at 5 p.m., with music and dancing unfolding as the procession travels downward.
How the ramp parade works
Instead of a fixed stage, the event uses the venue’s architecture as the show. The audience follows the bloc as it moves across levels, recreating the feel of a street parade indoors—right in downtown São Paulo. Admission is free, with no ticket pick-up required.
Unidos da Vila Maria kicks it off
On January 17, Unidos da Vila Maria opens the program with Carnival sambas and classic marchinhas. Founded in January 1954, the samba school is based in Jardim Japão, in the Vila Maria district, and brings hallmark parade elements such as drummers, dancers, and the mestre-sala and porta-bandeira duo.
ZUMBIIDO brings Afro-percussion and dance
On January 24, Bloco ZUMBIIDO Afropercussivo takes the ramps with drums, choreography, and the chant Nzumbii’a Lumbu. The work points to a fusion of Bantu linguistic influences from Central and Southern African peoples, whose forced diaspora profoundly shaped Brazilian culture and history. Since 2007, the Nzumbii’a Lumbu Black procession has immersed itself in Brazil’s diasporic African heritage.
Jegue Elétrico blends frevo, maracatu, and city rhythms
On January 31, Bloco Jegue Elétrico highlights Northeastern Brazilian popular music through percussion, bridging tradition and contemporary urban culture. Inspired by bloc traditions from Olinda, Salvador, and São Luiz do Paraitinga, the group was created at the turn of the millennium by musician and composer Emerson Boy, mixing frevo, maracatu, samba, and urban beats.
Afoxé Omodé Obá closes with Ijexá
Closing the series on February 7, Afoxé Omodé Obá brings Ijexá, a rhythm associated with Oxum, Oxalá, and other divinities. Since 2019, the group has marched through São Paulo’s peripheral neighborhoods, singing, playing, and dancing ancestral Black memories tied to terreiros and the Afoxé tradition.
Service
Eu vou Botar Meu Bloco na Rampa
Unidos de Vila Maria
Date: 01/17/2026, Saturday, 5 p.m.
ZUMBIIDO Afropercussivo
Date: 01/24/2026, Saturday, 5 p.m.
Bloco Jegue Elétrico
Date: 01/31/2026, Saturday, 5 p.m.
Afoxé Omodé Obá
Date: 02/07/2026, Saturday, 5 p.m.
Venue: Sesc 24 de Maio, Rua 24 de Maio, 109, São Paulo – 350 meters from República metro station
Age rating: All ages
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: Free event, no ticket pick-up required sescsp.org.br/24demaio
Van service: Free transport to República and Anhangabaú metro stations. Departures from the main entrance every 30 minutes, Tuesday to Saturday, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays and holidays, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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Sesc 24 de Maio
Rua 24 de Maio, 109, Centro, São Paulo
350 meters from República metro station
Phone: +55 (11) 3350-6300
Photo: Amanda Trevisan
