On April 19 and 21, the Museu da Língua Portuguesa offers free admission for all, including the FUNK: A Cry of Boldness and Freedom exhibition.
The Museu da Língua Portuguesa (Museum of the Portuguese Language) will remain open throughout the Tiradentes long holiday weekend, making it one of the best free cultural outings in São Paulo from April 18 to 21, 2026. On April 19 (Sunday) and April 21 (Tuesday), admission is free for everyone — including the temporary exhibition FUNK: A Cry of Boldness and Freedom.
FUNK on display at Estação da Luz
Featuring 473 works — paintings, photographs, and audiovisual records — the show occupies the museum’s first floor and Pátio B. Originally conceived by the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), the exhibition explores funk as a cultural movement that reshapes ways of speaking, dressing, and creating.
Curated by Taísa Machado, Dom Filó, Amanda Bonan, Marcelo Campos, and Renata Prado, the exhibition traces funk’s roots from African American music through the Black and soul dance parties of the 1960s and 70s, to its establishment in Rio de Janeiro and later São Paulo. The São Paulo version highlights works by Tami Silva, Brenda Nicole, and Rafa Black, spotlighting funk’s presence in the Baixada Santista region and the city itself.
Funk reshapes ways of speaking, dressing, and creating — and now takes center stage in São Paulo’s historic heart
The permanent exhibition and Praça da Língua
On the second and third floors, the permanent exhibition celebrates the diversity of the Portuguese language as spoken in Brazil. Interactive installations let visitors hear accents from across the country (Falares), explore the history of the language (Português do Brasil), and form words using the shadow of their arms on a high-tech table (Beco das Palavras).
The Praça da Língua — a kind of planetarium of words — is one of the visit’s highlights. Portuguese texts are projected onto the ceiling and recited by artists such as Tom Zé, Zélia Duncan, Chico Buarque, and Rappin’ Hood, creating a fully immersive experience.
Special activities for Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The museum’s Education Center has prepared special guided tours for the holiday weekend. On April 18 (Saturday) at 10 a.m., the tour Who Civilizes Whom? explores the influence of indigenous languages on Brazilian Portuguese — including a stop at the Palavras Cruzadas installation, which maps words of Tupinambá origin still used today, such as cupim (termite), arara (macaw), and maracujá (passion fruit).
At 11 a.m. on the same day, Indigenous Presences in Guaré and the Luz Area connects the history of Estação da Luz — the museum’s home — with the Campos do Guaré, the indigenous territory that once covered parts of Bom Retiro and Campos Elíseos in central São Paulo, before Portuguese colonization began in 1500.
Guided tours by the Education Center run every Saturday and Sunday: for the permanent exhibition at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; for the Estação da Luz building at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Groups form 15 minutes before each tour at Pátio A, near the ticket booth.
On April 19 (Sunday), from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Caravana Lúdica fills Pátio B and the sidewalk with traditional games — a free, drop-in play space requiring no tickets or prior booking.
Event Info
- Address: Praça da Luz, s/n – Luz – São Paulo
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (visitors may stay until 6 p.m.)
- Tickets: R$ 25 (full price); R$ 12.50 (half price)
- Free admission for children up to 7 years old, on Tuesdays and Sundays
- Entry: Gate A
- Tickets: at the box office or online: https://bileto.sympla.com.br/event/90834/d/299723
- Age rating for the FUNK exhibition: 14+
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