Almost a month after the program was announced, the Curitiba Festival revealed the event’s opening number: the lecture-performance “Samba: the Schools and their Narratives,” created by Milton Cunha. The show will bring all the joy and history of Carnival to Pedreira Paulo Leminski in two performances, on March 30 (by invitation) and March 31 (open to the public), at 20h30. Ticket sales begin this Thursday (5/03), on the official website of the event and at the physical box office at Shopping Mueller. The information was published on the Fringe website.
Cunha, who was the master of ceremonies of the event in 2025, will be accompanied by a large cast with 45 members from Special Group schools in Rio de Janeiro. Among the artists are pasistas, baianas, mestre-sala and porta-bandeira couples, members of the front commission, ritmistas and destaques, in addition to special appearances by Mestre Ciça, Nilce Fran and Luara Bombom.
Samba storyline
“Samba: the Schools and their Narratives,” a production by Milton Cunha with the Curitiba Festival, makes its premiere in the Lúcia Camargo Showcase. In the show, the carnavalesco, set designer, and commentator will tell the history of the Samba Schools parade, a century-old, genuinely Brazilian narrative. Keeping all due proportions, Curitiba will have its moments of Praça da Apoteose, and the audience will be able to feel a bit of the excitement that takes over the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí during Carnival.
The storyline of the presentation reveals the meaning of each segment in a parade and explains how the mestre-sala and porta-bandeira couple must present and protect the School’s flag, why the baianas are the guardians of the memories, knowledge, and flavors of each community, while the pasistas must demonstrate their ancestral art of samba no pé.
Bateria at Pedreira
Led by Mestre Ciça – a veteran figure honored in Unidos do Viradouro’s 2026 championship parade – a bateria will be formed especially for the show. Alongside Ciça, dozens of ritmistas will present and play instruments such as surdo, snare drum, tamborim, chocalho, repique, and tarol. For a feast for the eyes, the luxury destaques will also show off their costumes alongside the other members.
Milton Cunha – the abre-alas of the Curitiba Festival
The lecture-performance coming to Curitiba is the result of Milton Cunha’s extensive master’s and doctoral research, one of the greatest authorities on Carnival and the most popular celebrity in this universe today. He is a Carnival ambassador and a scholar of international standing. With two postdoctorates, in addition to being a set designer, commentator, and judge at various events, he works as a professor, speaker, and consultant in Brazil and abroad, with activities in countries such as Canada, Portugal, and Argentina, among others. Cunha is also an ambassador and commentator for the Boi - Parintins Festival.
34th Curitiba Festival
From 30/3 to 12/4 of 2026
Free and paid tickets up to R$85 (plus administrative fees), for sale on the website www.festivaldecuritiba.com.br and at the exclusive physical box office at Shopping Mueller - Floor L3 (Monday to Saturday, from 10h to 22h and, on Sundays and holidays, from 14h to 20h).
Check the age ratings and notices for each show. Also check all the shows that offer accessibility with Audio Description and Libras interpreters. Special discounts for employees of sponsoring companies, discount clubs, and associations.
