Free Street Art Takes Over Belo Horizonte Until August 30
Brazil · Culture
Key Facts
- Free, all of it CURA 2026 runs from 19 to 30 August in central Belo Horizonte, and there is no ticket for any part of it.
- A farewell This is the ninth CURA in Belo Horizonte and the last one built around Praca Raul Soares, which has anchored the festival since 2021.
- Two big names Ailton Krenak, the Indigenous writer and thinker, and the artist Monica Nador sign this year’s building-side murals.
- Four walls, not two Krenak takes the Pignataro building at Avenida Augusto de Lima 869 and Nador the Florenca at Rua Guaranis 555, with Binho Barreto on the Sesc Palladium facade and Rafaela Ianni on the JK playground wall.
- The public week The programme in the square itself — music, workshops, artists at work — runs 26 to 30 August.
- Rooftop tours From 27 to 30 August at 4.30pm you can go up the Edificio JK for a guided view. Free, no booking — passes are handed out at the door 30 minutes before, first come first served.
- This year’s theme “Descansar Enquanto” — roughly, resting while. Make of it what you like; the artists have.
For twelve days the tallest walls in Belo Horizonte become canvases, and you do not pay a cent to watch it happen.
If you are anywhere near Belo Horizonte over the next twelve days, the city is giving you one of the better free shows in Brazil. CURA 2026 Belo Horizonte — the name is short for Circuito Urbano de Arte — started on Wednesday, and between now and 30 August a handful of enormous blank walls in the middle of town will turn into paintings you can see from three blocks away.
What CURA 2026 Belo Horizonte actually is
The idea is simple and slightly mad. Every year the festival picks a few tall buildings downtown, gets permission for the side walls, and hands them to artists working from cranes. The result is a permanent open-air gallery: past editions are still up, still part of the daily walk to work for thousands of people.
This is the ninth edition in Belo Horizonte, and it carries a note of farewell — organisers have described it as the last one centred on Praca Raul Soares, which the festival has used since 2021. If you have been meaning to see CURA in the square, this is the year.
The two artists worth planning around
The name that will travel furthest is Ailton Krenak — writer, philosopher, Indigenous leader, and the first Indigenous person elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He is not someone you associate with a downtown wall, and this is his first work at this scale. It is why this edition is getting national attention.
Alongside him is Monica Nador, who has spent decades making painting collectively, with communities, in the places where people actually live. Putting her and Krenak on the same skyline is a statement about who gets to decorate a city.
Six more artists — Tina Soul, Efe Godoy, Nica, Dalata, Tot and Fhero — fill out the public programme, painting live in the square on 26 and 27 August.
How to see it without wasting a day
Painting began on 19 August, so the walls are live now. To watch artists at work, come to the square on 26 or 27 August, when the six square artists paint live. The run closes with the Festa Honk on 30 August, 2pm to 8pm, and a play street for children on 29 and 30.
The two addresses to put in your phone are Avenida Augusto de Lima 869 and Rua Guaranis 555. Both are walkable from Praca Raul Soares, and both are best seen from across the street rather than from underneath.
The rooftop visit is the one to arrive early for. From 27 to 30 August at 4.30pm, guided groups go up the Edificio JK — Oscar Niemeyer’s building, and the best vantage point in the centre. There is no booking: passes are handed out at the door 30 minutes beforehand, first come first served.
Why this matters if you live in Latin America
Public art is one of the few things a city gives its residents that does not depend on income. You need no membership, no reservation and no Portuguese to stand on a corner and look at a forty-metre painting. If you have just moved to Brazil and are still working out how to spend a Saturday, that is a cheap afternoon with a high return.
It also says something about Belo Horizonte. Brazil’s third-largest metropolitan area is regularly skipped by visitors heading straight from Rio to the coast, and the city has spent a decade using culture to argue otherwise. CURA is the most visible part of that argument.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CURA 2026 free?
Yes. There is no ticket for any part of CURA 2026, including the murals and the public programme in Praca Raul Soares from 26 to 30 August. The guided rooftop visits to the Edificio JK are free too, with no booking — passes are handed out at the door 30 minutes before each 4.30pm session, first come first served.
When exactly does CURA 2026 run?
Painting began on 19 August 2026 and the festival runs to 30 August. The public programme in Praca Raul Soares runs from 26 to 30 August, and the guided rooftop visits to the Edificio JK take place from 27 to 30 August at 4.30pm.
Who is painting this year?
Ailton Krenak, the Indigenous writer and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, and the artist Monica Nador are creating the 2026 building-side murals. The public programme also features Tina Soul, Efe Godoy, Nica, Dalata, Tot and Fhero.
Connected Coverage
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Sources: O Tempo — CURA says goodbye to Praca Raul Soares; BHAZ — Ailton Krenak signs a CURA empena for the first time; CURA — the festival’s own record of past editions
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