São Paulo Carnival Faces Uncertainty as City Hall Delays Official S...

With the vibrant rhythms of samba echoing through the streets of São Paulo, the anticipation for Carnival 2026 is palpable. However, for hundreds of street block organizers, the excitement is overshadowed by a growing sense of anxiety and uncertainty. Less than a month before the official start of the festivities, the city hall has yet to release the critical logistical information required for the parades to take place.

The delay in publishing the official routes, dates, and times has created a logistical bottleneck, leaving cultural groups in a precarious financial position. Without a confirmed schedule, organizers cannot secure sponsorships, sell support quotas, or properly plan their operations. This administrative silence stands in stark contrast to the massive economic impact the festival generates for the city, raising questions about the priority given to street culture.

According to the Guia de Regras e Orientações do Carnaval 2026, the city hall had promised to publish the list of approved blocks in the Official Gazette on November 28, 2025. This publication was supposed to follow the analysis and validation of routes and dates by the Comissão Especial de Organização do Carnaval de Rua 2026 (Special Commission for the Organization of Street Carnival 2026). However, that date passed without the release of the list.

In response to inquiries, the city hall issued a statement claiming that the timeline follows the program announced in September of the previous year and that there is no delay. They noted that blocks with more than 15,000 participants had until January 15 to submit their Operation and Safety Plans, which are currently under validation. Despite these assurances, the lack of concrete dates leaves organizers in limbo.

"If the block doesn't know if it's going to parade, it cannot sell support quotas or organize itself financially."

This uncertainty directly impacts the ability of cultural groups to raise necessary funds. The delay creates a domino effect, where logistical planning stalls, and financial resources dry up just as expenses begin to mount.

Beyond the logistical delays, organizers are vocalizing a deeper frustration: the absence of dialogue with the municipal government. In September of the previous year, the city hall established the Special Commission for Street Carnival 2026 via decree. However, this commission is composed exclusively of municipal secretariats, agencies, and companies, with no representation from the street blocks or the general public.

For José Cury Filho, coordinator of the Open Forum of São Paulo Street Carnival Blocks, this exclusion is symptomatic of a broader disconnect. "The dialogue is absolutely forgotten," he states. "There is no constituted authority that considers the elected carnival culture to speak with the street block collectives." He further criticizes the Culture Secretary, Totó Parente, for never convening with the block collectives to discuss the upcoming festival.

Thiago França, founder of the Espetacular Charanga do França, highlights the experience gap between the transient political administrations and the long-standing cultural organizers. "I am heading into my 11th carnival, and it is the fourth management [in city hall]. The people come and go. Those who have been making carnival for ten years are me. Those who know how to do it are the blocks," França asserts.

The tension between the city's economic reliance on Carnival and its treatment of the cultural sector is a central theme of the criticism. Last year, the festival attracted 16 million revelers and generated an economic impact of R$3.4 billion, creating 50,000 direct and indirect jobs. Despite these figures, the return in public investment for street blocks is minimal.

The city hall has allocated R$2.5 million for the 2026 street Carnival, distributed among only 100 blocks, with grants of up to R$25,000 each. Organizers calculate that this represents less than 0.07% of the total economic movement generated by the event. For Thais Haliski, organizer of the Acadêmicos da Cerca Frango block, the costs of participation have skyrocketed.

"Production costs for a single block can exceed R$60,000," Haliski explains, citing expenses for trucks, sound equipment, and studio rehearsals. "The resource does not cover even half of the real cost." This financial gap forces blocks to seek private sponsorships, a process that often compromises their artistic identity.

"Carnival is being treated only as mass entertainment. It is not being observed under the lens of the street carnival culture of São Paulo, which is one of resilience and resistance."

The struggle for funding has transformed the Carnival preparation into a year-round business venture. To bridge the financial gap, organizers are forced to host paid parties and aggressively pursue corporate sponsors. However, these partnerships often come with strings attached that threaten the unique identity of the street blocks.

"They demand counter-parties that often decharacterize the blocks," says Thais Haliski. Instead of artistic freedom, blocks may be required to wear uniforms featuring sponsor logos or alter their musical presentations to meet commercial demands. This shift turns the Carnival from a cultural expression into a mandatory commercial enterprise.

Thiago França emphasizes that while the economic impact is significant for the city administration, the cultural value is being eroded. "The revenue is important for the city hall and for those who don't know Carnival, to understand the dimension. But culturally, this is our identity. The Brazil is known worldwide by the Carnival. And they are trying to kill it," he warns.

The lack of a permanent public policy for street Carnival exacerbates the issue. With no specific legislation, every new administration alters the festival model, creating instability and exhaustion for those who dedicate their lives to the culture.

As the calendar turns toward February, the friction between the Prefeitura de São Paulo and the street block organizers highlights a critical juncture for the city's cultural heritage. The organizers are not merely asking for a schedule; they are demanding a seat at the table and recognition of Carnival as a vital cultural movement rather than just mass entertainment.

Both José Cury Filho and Thais Haliski advocate for the creation of a permanent public policy for street Carnival. They envision a framework with clear rules, early planning, and direct participation from the blocks in decision-making processes. Without this structural change, the cycle of uncertainty and conflict is likely to continue.

For now, the city hall maintains that its channels of communication, such as the Central Permanente do Carnaval, remain open. However, organizers argue that these channels are ineffective in practice. As the days count down to the 2026 festivities, the question remains: will the administrative machinery move fast enough to save the soul of São Paulo's street Carnival?