By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This weekend (June 9th – 11th), Rio de Janeiro hosts Virada Sustentável, a free event focused in raising awareness for sustainability. Taking place in venues all over the city, the project will promote over 400 cultural attractions to the audience.
Praça Mauá, in Centro, Parque Madureira, in Zona Norte, and Parque Lage, in Zona Sul, are the main venues of Virada Sustentável. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy live music performances, zen activities and panels.
Celebrating the Environment Week, the event is inspired by the United Nations’ Seventeen Development Goals, like gender equality, poverty eradication and sustainable cities and communities. Brazil’s United Nations Development Program is one of Virada Sustentável’s supporters.
“We want to show that inspiration can be a powerful tool in the promotion of this agenda, which, today, is the most representative among the sustainability ones”, explains journalist André Palhano, one of the event’s founders.
Opening the activities in Praça Mauá on Saturday (June 10th) is the live performance of Afro Brazilian group Afoxé Filhos de Gandhi, at 10AM. A market with female entrepreneurs and films on climate change will be taking place at the square from 10AM to 5PM. At 1PM, children can enjoy a storytelling session.
Also on Saturday (June 10th), Festa Wake (The Wake Party) starts at 8:30 AM in Parque Lage, gathering music, yoga, dance and healthy food. On Sunday (June 11th), a talk on pranic healing happens at 3PM, and meditation with Pedro Tornaghi at 4PM.
“For this event, we looked for inspiring projects that propose a broad, positive vision on sustainability, embracing themes like biodiversity, citizenship and urban mobility. We want a positive approach that brings possible solutions for the society we want”, says Mariana Amaral, the other founder of Virada Sustentável.
The first edition of Virada Sustentável happened in Sao Paulo in 2005. Today, it is promoted in Brazilian cities like Manaus, Salvador and Porto Alegre.
What: Virada Sustentável
When: Friday (June 9th) to Sunday (June 11th) – see venue to check time details
Where: Parque Madureira (Madureira, Zona Norte), Praça Mauá (Port Zone, Centro), Parque Lage (Jardim Botânico, Zona Sul).
Entrance: FREE