This year, the 32nd annual Brazilian Day in NY will take place on September 4, during Labor Day weekend. This sensational celebration is one of the largest public events on New York City’s official summer calendar. The event attracts a multicultural audience of Brazilians living in different regions of the United States.
Along with Brazilians, many admirers of Brazilian culture gather to celebrate Brazil’s Independence with music, dance, food, and the warmth of the Brazilian people. The event was created in 1984 on 46th Street, also officially known as Little Brazil Street (46th Street), by João de Matos and a group of Brazilians who wanted to celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day and feel closer to their homeland. Over the years, the number of attendees grew so much that they had to move and expand to the current location on 6th Avenue.
Today, BR Day New York is a complex event that takes place every Sunday before Labor Day, annually bringing together over 1.5 million people who line up along 6th Avenue, from 43rd Street to Central Park and Little Brazil. Many of those participating in the festivities come from neighboring states in hundreds of bus caravans.
International bands have also made their presence felt at the event. Last year, for example, the show featured a special appearance by the American R&B group Tavares. The five-brother band – best known for upbeat hits like “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” and “More Than a Woman” – energized the BR Day crowd by recalling both songs with great enthusiasm. The previous year, the festival brought in the Village People. The American disco group, well-known for their stage costumes representing American male cultural stereotypes, sang their biggest hits like “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.”. Billy Paul, Thelma Houston, The Emotions, Taste of Honey, and Roberta Flack also participated in the festival, rounding out the lineup of international stars.
In addition to the shows, which have brought many of Brazil’s top musicians to New York City, such as Ivete Sangalo, Zeca Pagodinho, and Lulu Santos, to name a few, BR Day New York presents an exciting celebration of the vibrant Brazilian culture through food stalls from various regions of the country and exhibitions of unique Brazilian products.
All these features contribute to making BR Day New York the largest Brazilian event outside of Brazil and certainly one of the largest of its kind in the United States. It is an opportunity for Brazilians to showcase their pride and for all other ethnic groups to truly discover what Brazilian culture represents. The festival is broadcast internationally by TV Globo International to 130 countries and aired live in Brazil. It will also be exclusively broadcast in the USA.
BR Day New York is co-produced by the Brazilian American Cultural Center (BACC) and the newspaper The Brasilians with support from TV Globo International. This year, the show lineup includes the pop-rock band Jota Quest, the sertanejo duo César Menotti & Fabiano, and singer Preta Gil.
For more information, send an email to: info@brazilianday.com