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Discover cultural arts and traditions August 20 at Seattle Center
SEATTLE – Seattle Center Festál hosts the 25th anniversary of BrasilFest on Sunday, August 20, 12 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Armory Food & Event Hall and Mural Amphitheatre. This free, in-person event is open to the public, and is a celebration of Brazilian arts and traditions.
This year’s festival will focus on celebrating 25 years, by highlighting the rich regional tapestries and the many faces of Brazil in its Indigenous, African, Asian, and European roots. This flagship event of the Brazil Center calendar provides an opportunity for artists, vendors, and organizations, gathered in one venue, to establish links to the broader public and convey their love of Brazilian culture, thereby increasing the visibility of the Brazilian cultural landscape in the state of Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest.
“Our vision for One Seattle is a city where we uplift and celebrate the diversity of cultures that make our city stronger,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “BrasilFest is an excellent opportunity to honor and share the vibrant cultural traditions of Brazil with the Seattle community through food, music, and dance, uniting us in both our commonalities and differences.”
BrasilFest exposes the community to culture and traditions during the week of the Brazilian Folklore Day. This is a unique mission, as this day is not usually celebrated outside of Brazil. BrasilFest will feature live music from Chorando na Chuva, Tabla Forró, Tambor e Cordas, SambaGringo 360, Grupo Onda Verde, and Eduardo Mendonça & Show Brazil. Dance and theater performances from Samba Parajitos, Fernando Rocha, Raiz Brazil Samba Dance Company, and VamoLá.
Programming will also include visual art and exhibits, food demos, an outdoor vendor’s market, crafts, and food. Visitors can join a samba workshop with Jônia Queen and A Roda de Choro hosted by Chorando na Chuva. Additionally, a panel of young Brazilian immigrants discussing their challenges and successes from their perspective, and a presentation by award-winning novelist Joyce Yarrow.
Under the guidance of co-founders Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça, BrasilFest has since 1999 embraced the ideals of Festál, doing its part to serve a broad community of all ages and diverse backgrounds residing in or visiting the greater Pacific Northwest, including those curious about Brazilian culture and seeking an initial exposure; friends and regular guests of Brazilian cultural events; and people of Brazilian heritage.
“Seattle Center is proud to host BrasilFest, a wonderful community celebration that transports guests to the heart of Brazil,” said Seattle Center Interim Director, Marshall Foster. “These diverse traditions, the infectious energy, and the warmth of people coming together to celebrate and share their culture is what Festál is all about.”
For a full schedule of festival activities, visit the Seattle Center Website.
About Brazil Center
Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça, Brazilian immigrants, co-founded the nonprofit Brazil Center, and BrasilFest. It is the area’s best-known Brazilian festival. Eduardo was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He is a guitarist, percussionist, singer, composer, and director of Show Brazil Productions. He traces his heritage to a royal African family called “Mama Beka”, meaning “Prophet of the Royal Court”. Ana Paula is a promoter and co-founder of Show Brazil Productions, a Seattle area company created in 1995 to promote Brazilian arts and education opportunities in the U.S and Canada. Ana Paula was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and has lived in the United States since 1987, as a naturalized U.S. citizen. Information on the festival is available at www.brasilfest.org and www.seattlecenter.com.
About Seattle Center Festál
Seattle Center Festál cultivates a deeper understanding of the cultures and ethnic diversity that contribute to the rich vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest. This unique series links together 24 free festivals presented on weekends from January to November, each with its own cultural focus, identity, and range of engaging activities. Seattle Center Festál is Where the World Gathers to celebrate the people, the places, the stories, and the traditions of the city’s communities. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with 24 different community groups and supported by City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, 4Culture, and KUOW. Festál is also part of the ArtsFund Cultural Partners Network.
About Seattle Center
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region. Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports, and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.
In 2023 Seattle Center is expanding its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center will support managing these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming.
Thanks to the support of Official Seattle Center Partners – Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Coors Light, Pepsi, Premera Blue Cross, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank – Seattle Center is the #1 arts and entertainment destination in the Pacific Northwest with 12 million annual visitors, generating $1.864 billion in business activity and more than $631 million in labor income annually. www.seattlecenter.com
