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Ouro Preto’s calendar is built around Carnival, Holy Week, and the July Winter Festival, with a handful of smaller religious and cultural dates filling the gaps. Because the town was founded in 1711 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, most celebrations lean on colonial-era traditions and processions rather than modern spectacles. Here are the main events and festivals in ouro preto, with dates and what to expect. For help choosing when to go, see our best time to visit Ouro Preto guide. For the full town overview, see our Ouro Preto travel guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Carnival
Carnival is the biggest event of the year, running the five days from Friday to Ash Wednesday, which lands in late February or early March depending on the year. The town runs more than 80 free street blocos, but the defining feature is the republicas, the student houses of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), which throw open their doors for parties that run from morning until dawn. The biggest blocos, like Bloco do Caixão and Zé Pereira dos Lacaios, draw thousands. Book lodging two to three months ahead and expect every hotel to be full. For the month-by-month temperatures and rainfall, see our Ouro Preto weather by month guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Holy Week, the seven days leading up to Easter, is Ouro Preto’s most elaborate religious festival. On the Thursday and Friday before Easter, volunteers build carpets of coloured sawdust, flower petals, and sand across the cobblestone streets, and torchlit processions carry statues between the churches after dark. The dates shift with Easter each year (late March to late April). Arrive by Wednesday to see the carpets being laid on Maundy Thursday, and note that many restaurants close on Good Friday. For the top sights and ticket prices, see our things to do in Ouro Preto guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Festival de Inverno (Winter Festival)
The Festival de Inverno de Ouro Preto e Mariana runs through most of July, usually from the second week to the end of the month, and spreads concerts, theater, film, and art exhibitions across the two towns. Venues include the Teatro Municipal and the churches, with many free daytime events and ticketed evening concerts. July is the coldest month (nights around 9°C), so bring layers for evening performances. Accommodation books out for the festival weekends, so reserve a month or more ahead. For help picking a district, see our neighborhoods in Ouro Preto guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Tiradentes Day (April 21)
April 21 is a national holiday commemorating Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, the leader of the 1789 Inconfidência Mineira who was hanged for the uprising. In Ouro Preto the date is marked by a civic ceremony at Praça Tiradentes, where a monument stands on the spot, plus military parades and wreath-laying. It is a solemn, official event rather than a party, but worth seeing if you are already in town for the dry-season weather. For hotel recommendations by area, see our where to stay in Ouro Preto guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Corpus Christi and Religious Dates
Corpus Christi, held 60 days after Easter (May or June), brings a second round of street carpets and a morning procession, smaller than Holy Week but easier to see without crowds. The Festa de Nossa Senhora do Rosário in October honours the town’s Black Catholic brotherhoods with congado drumming and dance outside the round Rosário church, which was built by enslaved miners. The Festa do Divino EspÃrito Santo, held 50 days after Easter, is another long-running colonial tradition with a procession and shared feast. For practical planning advice, see our Ouro Preto travel tips guide.
Events and Festivals in Ouro Preto: Annual Calendar
- January 6: Festa de Reis, closing the Christmas cycle with small processions.
- February or March: Carnival, five days of blocos and republic parties.
- March or April: Semana Santa, Holy Week processions and street carpets.
- April 21: Tiradentes Day civic ceremony at Praça Tiradentes.
- May or June: Corpus Christi and Festa do Divino, with street carpets and congado.
- July: Festival de Inverno, the month-long arts festival.
- October: Festa de Nossa Senhora do Rosário, with congado drumming and dance.
- December: Christmas lights and nativity scenes across the historic centre.
