Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
The world's top orchestras, opera and dance companies, and other troupes always include São Paulo in their South American tours. Many free concerts—with performances by either Brazilian or international artists—are presented on Sunday in Parque Ibirapuera. City-sponsored events are frequently held in Centro's Vale do Anhangabaú area or in Avenida Paulista.
The Centro Cultural São Paulo near Paraíso metro and an ample network of Serviço Social do Comércio (SESC) cultural centers feature inexpensive dance, theater, and musical performances daily. Listings of events appear in the "Veja São Paulo" insert of the newsweekly Veja. The arts sections of the dailies Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo also have listings and reviews. Both papers publish a weekly guide on Friday. The Portuguese-language website Catraca Livre (catracalivre.com.br/brasil) is the authority on free entertainment options.
Tickets for many events are available through the Ingresso Rápido, Ingresso, and Tickets for Fun websites. Many of these venues and sites offer ticket delivery to your hotel for a surcharge.
The space features a collection of libraries (the second largest in the city), along with a program of visual arts, exhibitions, cinema, dance, literature, music, and theater. It also offers educational activities, open studios, courses and workshops, lectures, and debates. Major renovations finished in 2013 added new projection and sound equipment and saw improvements in the lighting and acoustics. Admission is free or low-price for some events.
Part of a chain of cultural centers throughout the city, SESC Pompéia incorporates a former factory into its design. There are multiple performance spaces, but the choperia (beer hall) and theater host the most prominent Brazilian and international musical acts—from jazz and soul to rock and hip-hop.
