Free multilingual festival in Belém brings together Tulipa Ruiz and indigenous artists to put Amazonian art at the center of Brazilian culture.
As Brazil’s cultural mainstream continues to revolve around the South and Southeast, the city of Belém is pushing back with the Festival dos Povos da Floresta (Forest Peoples Festival). Free and open to all, the event runs through March 29 with music, cinema, photography, and creative workshops — making one thing unmistakably clear: the Amazon produces contemporary art.
Creativity as an act of empowerment
On March 24 and 25, smartphone photography and video workshops at the Memorial dos Povos put creative tools directly in the hands of local communities. In a country where access to equipment remains unequal, turning a phone into an artistic instrument is a meaningful act of cultural decentralization.
A stage that bridges worlds
On March 26 and 27, the festival’s national reach comes into full view. Tulipa Ruiz — one of Brazil’s most celebrated independent artists — joins Djuena Tikuna, Suraras do Tapajós, Ian Wapichana, and Tambores do Pacoval on stage. These performances carry languages, rhythms, cosmologies, and experiences that expand what Brazilian music can mean today.
Tradition here is not something fixed in the past — it is a living body that updates and reinvents itself in contemporary productions, a pulsating source of inspiration, language, and identity.
A growing movement since 2025
Conceived by Rioterra – Centro de Inovação da Amazônia, presented by Petrobras, and produced by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture and Federal Government, the festival launched in 2025 as a traveling project. It has already visited Porto Velho (RO), Boa Vista (RR), and Macapá (AP), gathering over 260 works, 60 artists and groups, and an audience exceeding 28,000 people. Performative actions reached approximately 15,000 spectators.
By bringing together film, training, music, and exhibition under one free and accessible umbrella, the festival makes its statement plain: Amazonian art is not on the margins. It is essential to understanding contemporary Brazil.
Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/@FestivaldosPovosdaFloresta
Event Info
- Smartphone Photography and Video Workshops: March 24–25
- Venue: Memorial dos Povos — Av. Governador José Malcher, 257 – Nazaré, Belém, Pará, Brazil
- Photography Registration: https://www.even3.com.br/oficina-de-fotografia-com-celular-festival-dos-povos-da-floresta-705460/
- Video Registration: https://www.even3.com.br/oficina-de-video-com-celular-festival-dos-povos-da-floresta-705489/
- Shows — March 26: Nat Esquenta, DDD 91, Djuena Tikuna feat. Joelma Klaudia, Tambores do Pacoval, Naieme feat. Izabela Lima (RO), Baile do Mestre Cupijó with Felipe Cordeiro
- Shows — March 27: DJ KaboCLA, Julia Passos feat. João Amorim (Macapá), Jeff Moraes feat. Raidol and Ian Wapichana, Suraras do Tapajós, Felix Robatto feat. Sandrinha, Tulipa Ruiz
- Admission: Free
- Instagram: @festivaldospovosdafloresta
