A balance sheet by the City of São Paulo showed that 15 million people participated in the city’s street Carnival in 2023. The survey, by the Municipal Secretariat of Culture, took into account the 462 parades of blocks in the capital of São Paulo, which took place in 13 days of revelry in February.
According to the São Paulo Tourism and Events Observatory, 82.1% of the participants were residents of the capital; followed by residents of Greater São Paulo (9.1%); interior of São Paulo (4%); other states, mainly Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Minas Gerais (4.2%); and foreigners (0.5%).
“More important than the total number of visitors, which was significant, is the recognition of the quality of the event by the public”, said the president of São Paulo Turismo, the city’s official tourism and events company, Gustavo Pires. “Carnival was postponed for two years by the pandemic, with heavy rain on some days and, even so, the population took to the streets and the city received tourists,” he added.
According to city hall, tourists spent 17 times more than residents of the capital of São Paulo. While the resident spent, on average, R$ 102.37 to enjoy the carnival in São Paulo, tourists from other states spent R$ 1,792.37.
