São Paulo’s Paulista New Year’s Eve 2026 will have 14 hours of shows, 9 acts, silent fireworks and an 8 million crowd forecast.
Line-up and economic impact
The City of São Paulo will host Paulista New Year’s Eve 2026 with 14 hours of non-stop music starting at 2 p.m. on 31 December. The line-up features nine major acts with broad popular appeal across Brazil. In addition, the celebration will include 15 minutes of silent fireworks, the largest display of this kind ever recorded in the city.
According to a survey by FGV, 70.7% of the audience will be city residents and 29.3% tourists and day-trippers. Therefore, the circulating crowd is expected to reach 8 million people along Avenida Paulista. The event should generate over 9,000 jobs, both direct and indirect.
São Silvestre race and opening acts
In the morning, the 100th São Silvestre International Race will bring together 55,000 athletes from 48 countries, increasing visitor flows downtown. Meanwhile, runners registered for the race will have access to a show by DJ KVSH, an artist gaining prominence in the electronic music scene.
The Municipal Secretary for Culture and Creative Economy, Totó Parente, underlines the importance of the event. He points out that New Year’s Eve boosts the economy, creates jobs and offers high-quality free shows to the population. Moreover, this year’s line-up reflects the preferences of São Paulo residents, with a focus on accessibility and safety.
Religious music to start the party
The artistic curatorship took into account cultural consumption surveys, such as a study by JLeiva and Fundação Itaú. The research shows sertanejo and forró as São Paulo’s favorite genres, with 54% of preferences. They are followed by gospel music, with 21%, and by pagode and samba.
The programme opens with religious acts, a segment that has grown in the city. At 2 p.m., the Catholic group Colo de Deus performs, known for combining spirituality, pop elements and original songs. Next, at 3 p.m., Frei Gilson takes the stage, a religious music phenomenon with millions of views online.
At 4 p.m., Father Marcelo Rossi performs, a historic name in Brazilian gospel music and author of one of the country’s best-selling albums. In this way, the start of the schedule highlights the strength of faith-based music in São Paulo’s cultural landscape.
Forró, pagode and sertanejo
At 6 p.m., singer João Gomes, winner of the 2025 Latin Grammy, brings piseiro and electronic forró to Avenida Paulista. Then, at 7:20 p.m., Belo performs a set focused on major national pagode hits. Thus, the party covers several of Brazil’s most popular genres.
The sertanejo segment, São Paulo’s favorite style, will feature three shows. At 8:40 p.m., duo Maiara e Maraisa, known for multiple national hits and major rodeo appearances, takes the stage. Right after, at 10 p.m., Ana Castela, currently the leading name in agronejo, performs for the crowd.
Ana Castela tops streaming rankings and attracts massive audiences across Brazil. For the countdown to the New Year, at 11:20 p.m., singer Simone Mendes leads the stage, one of today’s main female voices with several platinum records. Finally, at 1:40 a.m., pop icon Latino closes the event with songs that have marked different generations.
Stage structure and broadcast
For the shows, the City will install a 17 by 20 metre stage with a scenic LED panel. Furthermore, ten video towers along Avenida Paulista will broadcast the 14 hours of non-stop music, ensuring visibility for audiences spread across the avenue.
Reinforced security operations
To ensure safety, the City has planned an integrated operation involving security, health, sanitation and mobility services. The Military Police will deploy 1,950 officers, supported by drones, undercover agents, watchtowers and 200 cameras with facial recognition technology.
The Metropolitan Civil Guard will strengthen patrols with more than 1,100 agents. Electronic monitoring will also rely on 9,000 cameras from the Smart Sampa system. As a result, authorities aim to increase security throughout the entire celebration.
Cleaning, health and transport
Urban cleaning services will assign 550 workers exclusively to Paulista on New Year’s Eve. Crews will use reused water and reinforce selective waste collection, seeking to reduce the environmental impact of the massive crowd. This approach should help restore the avenue more quickly after the event.
On the health front, the event will have seven medical posts along the avenue, supported by ambulances and mobile ICUs. The structure will connect to 24-hour health units and to an operations room that tracks all incidents in real time through the Smart Sampa system.
Public transport will also have a special scheme on 31 December. The system will include 500 buses on 46 routes, with more than 70 SPTrans technicians working on-site. Meanwhile, traffic authority CET will deploy 290 agents, 90 vehicles and 1,400 barriers to manage road closures for both the São Silvestre race and the New Year’s Eve party.
About the Municipal Secretariat of Culture
São Paulo’s Municipal Secretariat for Culture and Creative Economy (SMC) was founded in 1935 as the Department of Culture and Recreation. Since then, it has promoted culture, driven the creative economy and valued the city’s cultural diversity. It also works to preserve heritage sites and train professionals for the cultural and creative industries.
The SMC manages 13 cultural centres, 7 municipal theatres and 20 cultural houses, in addition to Casa de Cultura Cidade Ademar, planned for 2025. The network also includes 2 museums – the Museum of the City of São Paulo, with 13 units, and the Museum of Brazilian Cultures, currently under renovation.
The Secretariat further operates 54 neighbourhood libraries, 15 reading points, 15 reading groves, 6 EMIAs and 3 units of the Rede Daora – Creative Studios for Youth. Finally, SMC supports 104 cultural facilities and CEUs through the PIAPI, PIÁ and Vocational programmes, focused on artistic initiation and early childhood.
