Seasons

Carnival in Recife and Olinda

When February – March Same rule as the rest of Brazil, 47 days before Easter Sunday. Four official days, Saturday to Tuesday, with a preceding week that in practice takes it to six.

Typical duration 6 days

Book 6–10 months ahead

Groups & MICE Avoid for MICE

The carnival you walk: frevo, giant puppets and steep colonial streets.

What it is

Recife and Olinda are one carnival destination and two experiences. In Recife, the Galo da Madrugada opens the party on Saturday and is the largest carnival bloco in the world. In Olinda, carnival climbs and descends the historic centre behind giant puppets, with no grandstands and no closed routes. Frevo, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, is both the music and the dance, with its small umbrella and acrobatic step.

What to offer

Four to six nights based in Recife, in Boa Viagem, with the Olinda outings organised in the morning, which is when the historic centre can be enjoyed and still walked. To extend, the Porto de Galinhas coast after carnival turns the package into a beach stay and brings the average rate down.

How it operates

There is no ticket to buy: this is open, free street carnival, so what is sold is accommodation, transfers and guidance. Olinda is covered on foot over cobbles and slopes, which makes it unsuitable for a client with reduced mobility — and that belongs in the conversation before the quotation, not after.

When to book

Six to ten months ahead. It is less strained than Rio or Salvador, but the Recife and Olinda bed base is smaller and commits just as fast in the core week.