March 9, 2019, Saturday - Brazilfest MN's Carnaval Brasileiro at the Cedar

Carnaval Brasileiro Family Matinee and Masquerade Ball 2019

Brazilfest MN's Carnaval Brasileiro celebrates its 17th anniversary with TWO shows - a kid-friendly family matinee in the afternoon, and an all-ages (but mostly for grown-ups) Masquerade Ball in the evening, both on Saturday, March 9th!

TIMES: Brazilfest MN Family Matinee 3 - 5 pm (doors at 2:30 pm, ideal for young children and seniors)

All-Ages Evening Show 8 pm - 12 midnight (doors at 7:30 pm, all-ages)    

VENUE: Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Avenue S

The most attended and longest-running annual Brazilian festival in the Twin Cities teams up with the Cedar Cultural Center for the 17th annual Carnaval Brasileiro on Saturday, March 9 at one of the premier live music venues in Minneapolis, internationally respected for top quality world music events.  This year the event brings back the very popular Brazilfest MN Family Matinee after a two-year hiatus, which will take place in the same space as the evening show from 3 to 5 pm and will include children performing with the headlining band for the first time ever! Children attending the matinee can have their faces painted, make their own masks, create and play their own percussion instruments, and learn to dance samba and sing in Portuguese.  The evening show will be an all-ages show as well, though designed more for grown-ups, and will start and end earlier than previous years. Over 60 singers, musicians, samba dancers, actors and artisans will transform the Cedar Cultural Center into an all-day authentically festive Brazilian cultural experience!

Guitarist/vocalist Robert Everest and his ten-piece group Beira Mar Brasil will host both Brazilfest MN Family Matinee and Carnaval Brasileiro Masquerade Ball from 8pm to 12 midnight.  Everest, who also serves as Executive Director of Brazilfest MN, has been joyfully exploring Brazilian music and culture for over 25 years and brings us authentic Brazilian carnival flavor through various musical genres from around the country -- Samba, Axé, Frevo, Baião, and other dance-inducing styles.  Joining Beira Mar Brasil for the thirteenth straight year, direct from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s famous party-loving city, will be singer and samba dancer extraordinaire, Dandara Odara, who performs at over 50 carnival celebrations around the world each year in Europe, North America, and of course, Brazil.  

Along with Beira Mar Brasil, Carnaval Brasileiro 2019 will present more performers and performance groups than ever before, including Brazilian percussion ensembles Batucada Do Norte and Drumheart, professional samba dancers/instructors Ginga da Bahia, Edilson Lima (who has been featured on Ellen DeGeneres) and Vanessa Luiz from São Paulo, Brazil, and Blue Lady - the mysterious mermaid, as well as Brazilian martial arts group Capoeira Floração of Minnesota.  Plus, for the first time in the seventeen-year history of this event, there will be children as young as 3 years old performing on stage, trained by Robert in Portuguese and different instruments throughout several months leading up to the event! (contact him directly (rkeverest@gmail.com) if you would like your child to participate as a performer!)

Carnaval guests can participate in Brazilian dance lessons, purchase authentic carnival masks created by master Brazilian artisan Goretti Aamot, and have their face and body painted just like they do it in Rio!

The annual Carnaval, celebrated throughout Brazil, lasts nearly a week and has roots dating back to the 1700s.  Like Mardi Gras, Carnaval is an all-out party with music, masks, dancing, food and drink - a final blowout before Lenten traditions kick in for the Easter season.  This Minneapolis edition of Carnaval takes place after it is celebrated in Brazil, allowing for many of the special guests to come to Minneapolis.

TICKETS:  Afternoon Matinee $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Evening Show $22 in advance, $30 at the door.  Tickets available at the Electric Fetus, Depth of Field, and thecedar.org  

PARTICIPATION: If you would like your child to participate as a performer contact Robert Everest at rkeverest@gmail.com.