The weather reports are in for this Saturday (20 July) - Brazilica Carnival Day in Liverpool – and the city is currently predicted to be hotter than Brazil at a sunny 27 degrees – perfect samba conditions and beating Rio’s cloudy 25 degree forecast! 

This balmy Saturday evening will be the perfect setting for the glittering carnival parade which will pass through the city’s streets in a stunning Rio de Janeiro style spectacle which will ensure a magnificent finale to the 9 day long festival, which is taking over Liverpool as we speak. 

Over 500 performers will take part in this Rio-style carnival weaving its way through the city centre with glittering costumes, floats and irresistible samba music and dance. The beautiful, bejewelled samba dancers, Brazilian style drummers and spectacular floats will start their journey through the city at 8pm at Abercrombie Square before leading down Mulberry Street, turning onto Oxford Street, past the Cathedral of Christ the King, then making their way down Hope Street. From here, the carnival will dance down Hardman Street, passing St Luke’s (Bombed Out) Church, down Bold Street, stomp through Church Street and samba up Tarleton Street, landing with a bang at the Main Stage site at Williamson Square, in the heart of Liverpool City Centre, where a number of acts will take to the stage until 11pm in a completely FREE fiesta for everyone to enjoy! (Parade route map image attached). 

Liverpool Samba School, joined by 9 special guests from Copenhagen’s famous samba school Carioca De Copenhague are sure to cause a stir on the city’s streets alongside several celebrated samba groups from across the UK including London-based Paraiso School of Samba and London Samba School (dancers from both these groups wowed at the Olympic Closing Ceremony last year) and Rhythms of the City. The carnival would not be complete without acclaimed local samba groups including Batala Liverpool, Oya Batacuda, Karamba Samba from Chester and Oxiris Samba School from the Wirral. 

The BRAZILICA Carnival Parade would not have been able to take such a central route through the city without the support of Liverpool’s City Central Business Improvement District (BID) as a festival sponsor.  BRAZILICA festival organisers have been working diligently with the City Central BID Team to ensure that the whole city will come to life with colour, beautiful costumes, stunning samba rhythms, amazing floats, authentic Brazilian crafts, cuisine and drinks as well as many free activities for the families to enjoy .

Also on Saturday, Williamson Square will host a Music Stage throughout the day and evening, hosted by DJs from 107.6 Juice FM. The stage will feature the best Brazilian bands such as headliners, Rio-based samba Beatle Band Sargento Pimenta celebrating the global legacy of Liverpool’s greatest musical export and innovative samba & jazz fusion quartet Tribo Da Pesada, both who command 100,000-strong audiences in their native country. A host of other great samba and funk bands, dancers and DJs will also be on hand to entertain revellers who will be able to eat, drink and be merry as they experience this great programme of music and samba dancing, with an outdoor ‘cocktail shack’ and stalls offering the best in Brazilian food.  

A brand new element of this year’s carnival day is Brazilica Capoeira Encontro at St Luke’s ‘Bombed Out’ Church - an afternoon of capoeira demonstrations and performances from internationally renowned Capoeira master Mestre Parente of Capoeira Cordão de Ouro. Pop down between 12noon and 2pm on Saturday 20 July to watch the masters in action and maybe even have a go yourself! 

Those looking for a warm up to the main carnival day should head to the city’s exclusive Newz Bar at 7pm on Friday 19 July for the yearly Brazilica Carnival Queen competition! Brazilian dancers from far and wide will battle for samba supremacy, with each dancer showcase their best routine, most dazzling costume, and of course their sparkling personality and energy. Featuring dancers from some of the World’s most renowned Samba Schools and a panel of expert judges including samba dancer Samara Reis (former Coburg Carnival Queen), celebrated Liverpool choreographers Darren Suarez (House of Suarez and responsible for the city’s Vogue Ball) and Miguel Doforo (MD Productions) joined by celebrity guest judge, Geordie Shore’s Jay Gardner, this is the perfect ‘carnival eve’ activity! 

BRAZILICA festival is an exciting expansion of Liverpool Carnival Company’s hugely successful carnival parade, which has existed since Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year in 2008 and attracted over 60,000 spectators in 2011 and 80,000 in 2012. With irresistible rhythms, glimmering costumes, sparkling dancers and extravagant floats there is guaranteed to be plenty of glitz and glamour and EVERYONE is invited to join in the fun!