Traditional festivals & cultures

Festa de São Sebastião de Cavalcante

January 11–20 (liturgical day on Jan 20)

A religious festival in honor of São Sebastião in Cavalcante, with novenas, masses, and processions. It opens the town's cycle of January festivals, which begins with the Folia de Reis (Jan 1–6). Folias for São Sebastião are also held in the municipality's Kalunga communities.

Festa de São Jorge e Levantada do Mastro

April 18–23 (main days Apr 21–23; patron saint's day on April 23)

The patron-saint festival of São Jorge in the village at the entrance to the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, combined with the founding anniversary of the old mining settlement. The highlight is the traditional Levantada do Mastro (raising of the mast), an age-old ritual of the popular culture of the Goiás cerrado, with a procession, religious songs, and candles up to the chapel, where the saint's flag is hoisted. It includes masses, processions, auctions, and concerts.

Veadeiros Forró Fest

Early May (the 2026 edition runs May 1–3)

A forró pé de serra festival at Cachoeira do Label (RPPN Bellatrix), in São João d'Aliança, blending music, dance, nature, and northeastern cuisine. It features regional and national acts, DJs, forró classes and workshops, a maracatu procession, and typical cerrado dishes, with camping and access to the tallest waterfall in Goiás (187 m).

Caçada da Rainha

July, on the 2nd Sunday (the festival runs ~4 days around it)

One of the largest traditional and religious festivals in Goiás, of Luso-African origin, mixing folias, drumming, masses, and the reenactment of the hunt in which the king, queen, and caretas hide in the bush on horseback. It was born after Abolition as a celebration of freedom and is recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Goiás (Law No. 21,806/2023).

Festa de Santo Antônio do Engenho II

July 13–15 (main day: July 13)

A festival in honor of Santo Antônio in the Kalunga quilombola community of Engenho II, the closest to Cavalcante and one of the most visited in the Kalunga Historic Site. It includes folia, novena and prayers, the traditional sussa and curraleira dances, and a communal meal, peaking on the night of July 13 and carrying on into the early hours.

Reinado de Nossa Senhora do Rosário

Late July (around the 26th to the 31st)

Cavalcante's great traditional festival, of Afro-Brazilian roots and a strong Kalunga quilombola presence. It brings together processions, a coronation, the raising of the mast, flags, folias, and the sussa dance, celebrated both in town and in the Kalunga communities, alongside the feast of the patron saint Sant'Ana (July 26).

Festejo (Romaria) do Vão de Almas — Nossa Senhora d'Abadia e Divino Espírito Santo

Mid-August (12th–17th, peaking on August 15)

The largest festival of the Kalunga territory, with more than 200 years of tradition, held in the Vão de Almas (Cavalcante) in honor of Nossa Senhora d'Abadia and the Divino Espírito Santo. It draws pilgrims from dozens of quilombola communities for novenas, masses, collective baptisms and weddings, the raising of masts, the Império do Divino, folias, and the sussa dance.

Rally dos Sertões

August 23 and 24 (Goiânia→Cavalcante stage, with an overnight in town)

The largest off-road rally in Latin America passes through the Chapada. In the 34th edition of the Sertões Petrobras (August 22–30, starting and finishing in Goiânia), Stage 1 sets off from Goiânia on the 23rd and ends in Cavalcante, where the teams set up the bivouac (camp) and spend the night; on the 24th, Stage 2 heads toward Bahia. The course crosses the hills, rocky climbs, and streams of the Kalunga territory (the 22nd is just the prologue, in Goiânia). A spectacle of cars, motorbikes, UTVs, and trucks — very different from the traditional festivals, but one that brings the town to life during these days.

Romaria do Vão do Moleque

September (novena from Sep 6; peak and raising of the masts on the 14th, 15th, and 16th)

A centuries-old pilgrimage (around 300 years) of the Kalunga quilombola community of Vão do Moleque, about 120 km from the town of Cavalcante, within the Kalunga Historic Site, in devotion to São Gonçalo, Nossa Senhora do Livramento, and São Sebastião. It gathers 3,000 to 4,000 people over roughly six days, with the raising of masts, novenas, masses, baptisms, collective weddings, the choosing of the emperors, sussa, and forró. Intangible Cultural Heritage of Goiás (2024).

Encontro de Culturas Tradicionais da Chapada dos Veadeiros

Historically in July; recent editions in September (second half of the month)

A major annual festival of traditional and popular cultures in the Vila de São Jorge, held since 2001 by the Casa de Cultura Cavaleiro de Jorge. It brings together musical acts, folias, reisado, catira, sussa, congo, capoeira angola, samba circles, processions, workshops, a fair of sustainable Cerrado ventures, and seminars. It is a showcase for Kalunga and chapadeira traditions and includes the Aldeia Multiétnica.

Festa de Nossa Senhora Aparecida (comunidades Kalunga)

October 2–12

The feast of Brazil's patron saint, celebrated in the Kalunga quilombola communities of Cavalcante — Sucupira, Vão de Almas, Vão do Moleque, and Capela — with novenas, folias, mass, baptisms, and sussa/forró, culminating on October 12. It is part of the calendar of Catholic celebrations of the Kalunga Quilombo.

Circuito Gastronômico de Cavalcante

November (2024 edition: November 15–30; main arena November 15–17)

The Cavalcante leg of the Goiás Gastronomic Circuit, on the theme "Celebration of Ancestral Gastronomy." It celebrates Kalunga quilombola cuisine and Cerrado ingredients (cassava, corn, beans, rice), with a free food arena (cooking demos, talks, live music) at the Feira Coberta and special dishes at the town's restaurants.

Festival Gastrô Alto Paraíso

First half of December (approx. December 3–12)

A food festival bringing together around 30 establishments in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, the Vila de São Jorge, and the Moinho neighborhood, with exclusive menus inspired by the fruits, oils, seeds, and edible flowers of the cerrado. It closes on December 12, the town's founding anniversary.

Astroturismo na Chapada — noite de céu escuro (exemplo, data a confirmar)

To be confirmed (best months in the dry season, Jun–Aug)

EXAMPLE / PLACEHOLDER — this is not a confirmed event. The Chapada dos Veadeiros has one of the darkest, clearest skies in Brazil, and stargazing is a genuine calling of the region; this entry exists only to demonstrate the "astroturismo" category in the filter. No confirmed organizer, location, or date — do not use it to plan a trip.

Example — unconfirmed event

Sarau cultural mensal (exemplo recorrente, a confirmar)

To be confirmed (proposed: every month)

EXAMPLE / PLACEHOLDER — this is not a confirmed event. A demo entry for the "recurring" field (events that repeat on a fixed cadence) and the "cultura" category. No confirmed organizer, location, or date — do not use it to plan a trip.

Example — unconfirmed event