Public holidays in Porto Alegre
Brazil already has a lot of holidays. Rio Grande do Sul adds more. Shops vanish. Plan around 20 September.
National holidays shut banks and much of government. State and city holidays shut more. The supermarket that was open on Sunday can die on Dia do Gaúcho.
The ones that eat your week
- 1 January: New Year. The orla is a party. The 2nd is quiet.
- 2 February: Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes. City holiday. Procession on the Guaíba. Municipal offices close.
- Carnival: the dates move. Porto Alegre is not Salvador. Some people travel. Some stay in Cidade Baixa. Offices vanish.
- Good Friday / Easter
- 21 April: Tiradentes
- 1 May: Labour Day
- Corpus Christi
- 7 September: Independence
- 20 September: Revolução Farroupilha / Dia do Gaúcho. This one is ours. Parade, bombacha, chimarrão, everything closed.
- 12 October: Nossa Senhora Aparecida / the gravity of Children’s Day
- 2 November: All Souls
- 15 November: Proclamation of the Republic
- 20 November: Black Awareness Day (national holiday since 2024)
- 25 December
Always check the Porto Alegre calendar for the year you are in. City holidays can close municipal things even when São Paulo is working.
Sundays
Malls open. Small shops often do not. The Bom Fim market is a Sunday religion.
Summer slowness
January is when locals go to the coast (Capão, Torres, the lagoons). The city almost empties. It is a great time of year to be here and go to places that are packed the rest of the year.