Campina Grande Sao Joao

Sao Joao in the north-east is the winter festival of bonfires, maize, quadrilha dancing and forro, and Campina Grande runs it for the whole of June in the Parque do Povo, a permanent site with stages, a mock village, an artificial forro street and space for very large crowds. Bands play nightly across several stages, the quadrilha competitions are serious and rehearsed for months, and a train runs out to Galante and back with music aboard. The city and Caruaru in Pernambuco each claim the largest Sao Joao in Brazil, an argument that has been running for decades and is not going to be settled. Food is the June repertoire: maize cake, canjica, pamonha, mulled cachaca and quentao.

What you actually see

• A month of nightly forro - stages running through the whole of June.
• The Parque do Povo - a permanent festival ground with a mock village.
• Quadrilha competitions - rehearsed group dancing judged seriously.
• The forro train - music aboard the run out to Galante.

When to go

June, with the peak around 24 June. Three days.

Honest expectations

Accommodation is booked out months ahead and prices multiply through June. Nights run until dawn and the site is crowded and loud. Rain is common - June is the wet season here. Little is in English.

Nearby

Caruaru is south in Pernambuco; Joao Pessoa is east on the coast.