Traditionally, the Brazilian Day festival (BR Day NY) takes place on the Sunday before Labor Day. This year will be no different. The largest Brazilian party in New York is scheduled for September 3, from 11 AM to 6 PM, at 6th Avenue and 46th Street.
However, an opening party on Saturday, September 2, will warm up the crowd for the big day. Little Brazil (46th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) will be closed to host an event that will highlight elements of Brazilian culture, such as samba, capoeira, MMA, and more.
The party will start with a samba parade that will leave Times Square at 11 AM towards Little Brazil, with a group of people dressed in traditional costumes, playing and dancing. The famous samba parade in Rio de Janeiro is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. But if you haven’t had the chance to visit Rio during Carnival, this is an opportunity to get a little taste of it.
The samba parade is organized by the Brazilian Council on Samba, under the direction of carioca Carlos De Oliveira. The Brazilian Council on Samba is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support artists and organizations to represent and promote the history and culture of samba. Carlos De Oliveira, also known as Caco, teaches Brazilians and Americans to play samba instruments.
After the parade, the audience will be able to watch performances of Capoeira, Maculelê, and MMA.
Capoeira, well-known worldwide, is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. Maculelê, less known internationally but equally important as a typical element of Brazilian culture, is a dance where participants hold two sticks in their hands while performing.
Both arts will be presented by Jelon Vieira, a Brazilian choreographer and teacher living in New York who has been recognized as a pioneer in introducing Afro-Brazilian art and dance to audiences around the 
world. He is the founder of the organizations Capoeira Luanda and Dance Brazil.
Jelon will be joined by other ‘masters’ of capoeira and will invite the audience to interact by participating in the classes they will teach during the opening party.
Finally, the audience will watch a presentation of MMA or mixed martial arts, a full-contact combat sport that allows both striking and grappling, both standing and on the ground, using techniques from other combat sports and martial arts.
The sport will be presented by members of the famous Gracie Family, a prominent martial arts family from Brazil known for developing Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). They have been successful in combat sports competitions, including mixed martial arts and ‘vale tudo’. Since 1925, over 40 members of the Gracie Family 
have dedicated their lives to practicing and spreading the techniques and philosophy of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, making it the largest family of athletes in the world.
The Brazilian Day Kick-Off will be a unique opportunity to see all these great talents and learn a little more about Brazilian culture. All for free.
The Brazilian Day Kick-Off is co-produced by João de Matos, founder of Brazilian Day New York, Jelon Vieira, and Carlos De Oliveira. Starting at 11 AM, on Saturday, September 2, at Little Brazil (46th Street).