This year’s Brazilica Festival, which came to a climax last Sunday (19 July), has been hailed a sizzling samba success by organisers and festival goers alike.
Organisers Liverpool Carnival Company presented an incredible two week programme of events across the city leading up to the main Carnival Day on Saturday.
Crowds came from far and wide in their thousands and lined the city centre streets for a spectacular Carnival Parade on Saturday evening. Dancers and Samba bands from the UK, Brazil and Europe took part in the incredible Parade, filling the streets of Liverpool with colour, music and a sensational atmosphere alongside a Brazilian extravaganza and talented performers in Clayton Square.
There were also some amazing events leading up to the main Carnival Day to get audiences in the samba spirit. The heat was on atAlma De Cuba on Friday 17 July with the ever popular Carnival Queen Competition. There was a fantastic turnout for the event which saw Melinda Adams from Paraiso School of Samba crowned this year’s carnival queen. Hosted by father daughter duo, BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips and Bay TV The Guide’s Ellie Phillips, Alma De Cuba was awash with colour as dancers took to the stage for a spectacular catwalk show.
Other pre-Carnival Day events included highly renowned Brazilian singer, instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer Marcos Valleplay at The Kazimier on Wednesday 24 June with an incredible fusion of soul and jazz making it impossible not to dance.
2015 saw the roaring success of the first ever Brazilica Film Festival in association with Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill. The twelve films that celebrated Brazilian life and culture were screened at various venues across the city between Wed 1 – Sun 19 July and ran alongside a special Graffiti Art Exhibition at FACT which complimented the screening of Cidade Cinza, one of the films screened as part of the Film Festival.
Constellations and District were the places to be on Saturday evening as it closed this year’s festival; hosting a Brazilian spectacular of a closing party, where the samba and Latin- House vibes kept crowds partying until the early hours of Sunday morning and proved to be the perfect send off for Brazilica, at least for another year.
Maeve Morris of Liverpool Carnival Company said:
“Wow, I can’t believe Brazilica is over for another year, and what a year it has been. There have been so many highlights this year with the introduction of our first Brazilica Film Festival which has proved hugely popular and will now hopefully continue to grow each year, Marcos Valle was sensational when he performed at the Kazimier, and of course as ever the Carnival Parade! It still amazes me to see the huge crowds of people that fill the streets – so thank you to everyone who came out to show their support. And a huge thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers and participants you make Brazilica the fantastic event it is. Now to get started on Brazilica 2016 – see you all next year!”
Liverpool Carnival Company are now looking ahead to next year, for which plans have already begun, every year they set the bar higher in their efforts to improve the festival and always succeed in finding ways to bring it back bigger and better, so get set for another Brazil-iant event in 2016.
Keep up to date with all Brazilica Festival activity at: www.brazilicafestival.co.uk; www.facebook.com/brazilicafestival; Twitter @BrazilicaFest
For further information on the film festival visit www.brazilicafestival.co.uk/brazilica-film-festival or follow on www.facebook.com/brazilicafilmfest or twitter @BrazilicaFilms