By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL –The Mercado Mundo Mix (MMMix) event will return on Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, 26th to take place in Fundição Progresso in Lapa with free admission on both days. Activities and participants will include live music, art exhibitions, independent publications, food trucks, workshops, and fashion vendors.
Created by Beto Lago in 1994 as a way to celebrate and help stimulate the creative economy, during its 21 years Mercado Mundo Mix has helped to launch brands including Cavalera and Chilli Beans and designers including Marcelo Sommer, Alexandre Herchcovitch and Heitor Werneck.
Fashion vendors during the upcoming edition of the event will include street wear by D-Aura, clothes and accessories by Vicente Perrotta, Rafaell Cavaglhyery and Gui Amorim, bags and shoes by Klatsch, glasses by 13Rée and fashion by Casa Geração, which will sell its productions made in Vidigal to the public for the first time during the event.
The 200 square meter gallery section of the event will feature the works of more than twenty artists from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and additional locations in Brazil. The artists include Alex Ferro, Alto-Contraste, Amanda Seiler, Carmen del Sol, Dani Soter, Fábio Carvalho, Flavio Lazarino, Galo, Geleia da Rocinha, Greiffe, Heberth Sobral, Guga Baygon, Isabel Löfgren, Juan Batalla, Leila Pugnaloni, Magrela, Ozi, Paulo Mumia, Patricia Gouvea, Reynaldo Candia, Tantão, Tia Lúcia and Wellington Ferreiro.
The Mercado Mundo Mix will also feature a section showcasing small, independent publishers, graphic designers, and comics. Participants will include A Bolha, Antonio Bokel, Bendita Gambiarra, Cabuloza Wildlife, Cozinha experimental, Dodô Publicações, Editora Criatura, Estudio Baren, Fada inflada, Grafica Editora KADE, Grafatório, Inutensílios Poéticos, Josimar Freire, Mão na Lata, Marcelo Macedo, Norte Comum, Pipoca Press, Pororoca, Rébus, Risotrip and Truque.
Food during the event will be offered by food trucks that will include Benedetta, Brauni, Cogu, Creperia Cliché, Delfina, Frites, Monsieur B Burger, Tapí, SudTruck, Steak Me, and Ribz.
Most of the workshops during the event will focus on urban argriculture and gardening. On Saturday, June 25th at 4PM and on Sunday, June 26th, the workshop, Guerilla Gardening, will spotlight the producition and distribution of seeds, use of manures and urban planting.
On Sunday, June 26th at 2PM, the topic will be on Plantas alimentícias não-convencionais/PANCs (unconventional food plants) and at 6PM, there will be a discussion about home composting. The organizers will ask for conscious contributions of R$15 to R$25 for the workshops.
In addition to the gardening workshops, there will be a free passinho workshop with the Descolados Dançarinos dancers Felipe Salsa and Anderson Kipula on Saturday, June 25th from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM.
The event’s live music shows will begin on Saturday, June 25th with singer Lila peforming at 4PM. Singer-songwriter Mateus VK will follow at 6PM and the dance group, Dream Team of Passinho will headline the night with their performance beginning at 8PM.
On Sunday, June 26th, the Quinteto de Metais da Orquestra Petrobras Sinfônica will perform at 2:30PM and 4PM. Musician, composer, and visual artist Lucas Estrela will follow at 5:30 PM and the group Noites do Norte will headline the night with their performance of the rhythms of northern Brazil including lambada, cumbia, and brega.
For additional information about the event, see the Mercado Mundo Mix website.
What: Mercado Mundo Mix
When: Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, 26th, 12PM to 10PM.
Where: Fundição Progresso, Rua dos Arcos, 24 – Lapa
Entrance: FREE