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Santos keeps a full calendar of festivals, from one of Sao Paulo state’s biggest street carnivals in February to a jazz festival on the beach in July and a hilltop pilgrimage every September. Many events are free and set along the beachfront, so they slot easily into a trip. Here are the main events and festivals with their dates and locations, drawn from the full Santos travel guide.
Santos Events and Festivals: Carnival and Summer
Santos Carnival
Carnival runs in February or early March, the Friday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and Santos hosts one of the larger street carnivals in Sao Paulo state. Samba schools and blocos parade along the beachfront and through the historic centre, with the main school parades often on a dedicated sambadrome route. Expect packed hotels, loud late nights and the hottest, wettest weather of the year. Book accommodation months ahead if Carnival is your target via the where to stay in Santos guide, and check the best time to visit Santos guide for the year’s exact dates.
Santos Anniversary
Santos celebrates its founding on January 26 with a municipal holiday, fireworks and free concerts along the beach garden. It falls in the peak summer period, so it draws day-trippers from Sao Paulo and fills the beachfront. Expect traffic on the Anchieta-Imigrantes highways and reserve restaurants ahead of time.
Santos Events and Festivals: Winter and Spring
Santos Jazz Festival
The Santos Jazz Festival is a multi-day event held in late July, with the 14th edition running July 23 to 26 in 2026. Concerts take over stages along the beach and in city theatres, mixing established Brazilian and international jazz acts with workshops and free street performances. Most shows are free, and July’s mild, dry weather makes it one of the most pleasant times to be outdoors in Santos. Check the official schedule for ticketed headline shows.
Independence Day Civic Parade
On September 7, Brazil’s Independence Day, Santos holds a civic parade along the beachfront near Aparecida, between canals 5 and 6, with school bands and military units. It is a family-oriented morning event and a public holiday, so most shops close. If you are staying near Ponta da Praia, you can watch from the beach garden, and the Santos neighborhoods guide explains which areas are closest to the route.
Festa de Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrat
The Feast of Our Lady of Monte Serrat on September 8 is Santos’s biggest religious festival and a municipal holiday. Thousands of devotees climb Monte Serrat’s steps or ride the funicular to the hilltop shrine for masses and a procession honouring the city’s patroness. The funicular runs extended hours that day and can have long queues, so go early or the day before. It is a colourful, local event well worth catching if your dates line up with September.
Mirada Festival and Art Mundi Fair
Mirada, the Ibero-American performing arts festival, runs in early-to-mid September and brings theatre, dance and circus companies to stages across the city, while the Art Mundi fair in the same window showcases craft from around Brazil and abroad. Both are partly free and spread through venues like the Teatro Municipal. For current-year dates, confirm with the tourism office before travelling.
Santos Events and Festivals: Sport and Annual Races
Santos FC Home Matches
Santos FC plays home matches at Vila Belmiro from roughly April to November, when the Campeonato Brasileiro and state championship run. Matchday is an event in itself, with the Memorial das Conquistas and Pelé Museum open alongside the stadium. Tickets range from about R$50 to R$150, and the surrounding streets fill with food stalls on game nights. See the things to do in Santos guide for the full stadium and museum details.
Trofeu Brasil de Triathlon and Corrida Rock Music
September also brings a stage of the Trofeu Brasil de Triathlon and the Corrida Rock Music road race, both staged along the beachfront and drawing athletes and spectators. They close sections of the beach road early on race mornings, so check the schedule if you are driving. For the wider picture on visiting, see the Santos weather by month and Santos travel tips and FAQ guides.
