Feira de São Cristóvão

In the São Cristóvão district, in the North Zone, the Feira de São Cristóvão is a slice of Brazil’s Northeast in Rio. Officially called the Centro Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas (Luiz Gonzaga Center for Northeastern Traditions), it brings together hundreds of stalls selling food, drinks, crafts and music.

The fair began in 1945, when migrants from the Northeast arriving in Rio on “pau de arara” trucks — adapted to carry passengers on long journeys — started gathering at the Campo de São Cristóvão. There they swapped news from home, bought regional products and eased their homesickness with music and food.

Over time the fair grew and, in 2003, moved inside the Pavilhão de São Cristóvão, taking the name of Luiz Gonzaga, the “King of Baião”, composer of classics such as “Asa Branca”. Today it works as a large cultural center, with restaurants, shops and stages.

Food is one of the main reasons to go: carne de sol (sun-cured beef), baião de dois (rice and beans cooked together), tapioca, sarapatel, queijo coalho and cachaças from many regions. The shops sell crafts, leather hats, hammocks and cordel literature — folk-poetry booklets with woodcut covers.

The highlight is the music: forró bands play on the stages and couples dance until late, while repentistas challenge each other in duels of improvised verse. On the dance floor, generations of northeasterners and cariocas mix with visitors trying their first steps. At weekends the party goes on well into the night.