São Paulo – It’s called a fair, but it’s practically a party. It happens every Saturday and attracts both São Paulo’s own residents and those that come from other states or abroad. It’s the Fair of Arts, Culture and Leisure of Benedito Calixto Square, in Pinheiros, one of the most trendy neighborhoods in São Paulo, although one of the oldest. “A lot of foreigners come”, says the vice-president of the Friends of Benedito Calixto Square Association, Maria Emilia Ciavaglia, when telling that the local little fair has turned into a tourist attraction of the city and that in the place is common to listen to Portuguese, French and English.
The square is located between Teodoro Sampaio and Cardeal Arcoverde streets, central points of the neighborhood and among its trees and sidewalks 300 exhibitors set up their tents. The tent’s set up starts early and around 8 AM they are already displaying their antiques, arts and craft, visual arts, and offering typical Brazilian and other places’ food. These are the four divisions of the fair, which is organized by the association.
With antiques, it’s possible to find from vinyl records to second-hand clothing, old toys and silverware; in arts and craft there are interior decoration objects, metal pieces, leather, glass, embroidery, threads; with visual arts there are paintings and others. It’s a whole universe to see and appreciate or to buy, if it’s the visitor’s intention. Foreigners visit and shop, according to Ciavaglia. Among the pieces offered by the fair, a lot of them can be purchased for gifts, such as Brazilian stones.
One of the highlights of the fair is the cuisine and the crowd and gathers around the food tents, with a lot of music and talking. Want to have a dessert? Ok. Want a pastel (a pasty with different fillings)? Also ok. Food from Bahia? We have. Foreigner or from Pará? The menu has. And on lunch time, around 11:30 AM to 1 PM, there are musical bands, such as Carimbé, that plays music from Pará, or Monoclub, a folk band. The bands change according to each Saturday.
Later, starting at 2:30 PM there’s a presentation by a Brazilian choro group, Chorinho da Praça, and you almost can’t talk about the square without mentioning them. And they play until 7 PM, cheering the shopping, the talks, the flirting in the square with music. And, once in a month, there is the project Author in the Square, when a writer is invited to launch his or her book in the square and to talk with the audience. Even when there isn’t an author invited, the literary space is still up, with available works for reading or some literary activity such as poem reading.
The stores around the square also participate in the fair on Saturdays and design their products according to the public of the fair. There are restaurants, interior decoration stores, arts and craft, fashion stores. “The fair brought to the square a niche of art and culture”, says the association’s vice-president, emphasizing that the stores from around the square bring value to the fair.
The fair, which happens for 29 years already, welcomes around 10,000 people every Saturday, according to a research done two years ago. The official opening hours go from 8 AM to 8 PM, but some tents start to disassemble around 5 PM.
Service:
Fair of Art, Culture and Leisure of Benedito Calixto Square
Between Teodoro Sampaio and Cardeal Arcoverde streets, near Henrique Schauman and João Moura streets (in front of the church Igreja do Calvário)
On Saturdays, from 8 AM to 8 PM
Pinheiros Neighborhood – São Paulo
Information: (11) 3081-1803
Website: www.pracabeneditocalixto.com.br
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
