Welcome to your São Paulo daily brief for Thursday, February 26, 2026 — a strong cultural day anchored by two of the city’s most compelling free exhibitions. At the CCBB, Joaquín Torres García – 150 Anos presents roughly 500 works and documents from the Uruguayan modernist who turned the continent upside down — literally, with his iconic América Invertida map now suspended as a mobile in the rotunda. At the Museu da Língua Portuguesa, FUNK: Um Grito de Ousadia e Liberdade traces the genre from the 1970s bailes black to today’s peripheral aesthetics across 473 works, now expanded with exclusive São Paulo material. The Pinacoteca’s Trabalho de Carnaval, with 200-plus works on the invisible labour behind Brazil’s biggest party, rounds out a walkable Luz-district circuit that can fill an entire afternoon without leaving the neighbourhood. The weather is milder than recent days: 23°C with just 31% rain, a relief after yesterday’s showers. On the markets, the Ibovespa touched a new intraday record of 192,623 points yesterday before closing at 191,247 (-0.13%), while the dollar fell to R$5.1247 — its lowest since May 2024. Tomorrow, the Frestas – Trienal de Artes opens at Sesc Sorocaba with 80-plus artists, making it worth planning a day trip this weekend. This São Paulo daily brief covers weather, events, transport, food, and practical tips for your day.
01Weather & Air QualityWhat to wear
02Day at a GlanceQuick scan
Thursday’s cultural highlight is the Luz district, where three major institutions form a tight walkable triangle. The CCBB’s Torres García retrospective is the most comprehensive showing of the Uruguayan modernist ever staged in Brazil, with manuscripts, paintings and his celebrated wooden toys all free to visit. Steps away, the Museu da Língua Portuguesa’s FUNK exhibition traces the genre from its Black Music roots through to its impact on fashion, language and visual art — the expanded São Paulo edition includes exclusive material on the Cidade Tiradentes and Baixada Santista scenes. The Pinacoteca rounds out the circuit with Trabalho de Carnaval, celebrating the invisible workforce that builds Brazil’s greatest party. All three are reachable from Luz metro station within minutes. Further down Avenida Paulista, the MASP shows Abel Rodríguez’s Amazonian drawings and the Itaú Cultural hosts Game+, its videogame retrospective. Tomorrow the Frestas Trienal de Artes opens at Sesc Sorocaba with 80-plus artists and community initiatives — a worthwhile day trip for the weekend.
03Culture & EventsWhat to see & do
Museums & Exhibitions
CCBB São Paulo — Open Today
Joaquín Torres García – 150 Anos is the largest exhibition of the Uruguayan modernist ever mounted in Brazil. Roughly 500 items — paintings, manuscripts, drawings, maquettes and his celebrated wooden toys — reveal the breadth of Torres García’s universalismo construtivo. The centrepiece is América Invertida (1943), his upside-down map of South America, hung as a mobile in the rotunda. Curated by Saulo di Tarso in collaboration with the Museo Torres García in Montevideo. Through March 9. Also today: Ocupação Maranhense opens at the CCBB theatre, celebrating 20 years of the Pequena Companhia de Teatro with four shows, a workshop and an exhibition — all free.
Pinacoteca de São Paulo — Open Today
Trabalho de Carnaval at Pina Contemporânea is the most extensive exhibition ever dedicated to the workforce behind Brazil’s Carnaval. Over 200 items — costumes straight from samba-school parades, sambódromo blueprints, archival footage and commissions from Adonai, Ana Lira and Ray Vianna — are organised across four sections: Fantasia, Trabalho, Poder and Cidade. Curated by Ana Maria Maia and Renato Menezes. Through April 12. At Pina Luz, the permanent collection and rotating shows across all three buildings are included in a single ticket.
Museu da Língua Portuguesa — Open Today
FUNK: Um Grito de Ousadia e Liberdade immerses visitors in funk’s journey from the bailes black of the 1960s to its current status as a cultural force shaping language, fashion and visual art. Expanded from its acclaimed 18-month run at Rio’s MAR, the São Paulo edition adds exclusive material on the Cidade Tiradentes scene and Baixada Santista MC culture. 473 works across paintings, photography and audiovisual installations. Curated by Taísa Machado, Dom Filó, Amanda Bonan, Marcelo Campos and Renata Prado. Through August 2026. Age rating: 14+.
MASP — Open Today
Abel Rodríguez (Mogaje Guihu): A Árvore da Vida e da Abundância presents 65 drawings by the late Colombian Indigenous artist, organised in four sections: Mythological Trees, Botanical Drawings, Cycles and Integrated Nature. Through April 5. Also showing: Minerva Cuevas: Ecologia Social (through April 12) and André Taniki Yanomami: Ser Imagem (through April 5), plus the permanent Acervo em Transformação. The MASP’s 2026 programme is dedicated to Histórias Latino-Americanas, with Sandra Gamarra Heshiki’s retrospective opening March 6. Thursday hours: 10h–18h (entry until 17h).
More to See
Sesc 24 de Maio — HIP-HOP 80’sp
Over 3,000 objects chart hip-hop’s history in São Paulo, with collective curation by OSGEMEOS, Rooneyoyo O Guardião and KL Jay. Through March 29.
Itaú Cultural — Game+
A comprehensive history of videogames featuring 51 playable titles across 25 consoles, examining their role in creative economy and generational culture.
Japan House — Masters of Carpentry
Imbuídos das Forças das Florestas do Japão showcases Japan’s millennial woodworking tradition — no nails, no metal — including a replica tea house and immersive forest installation.
Instituto Tomie Ohtake — Rivers
Part of the France-Brazil Season, this exhibition brings 12 French and Brazilian artists into dialogue about freshwater rivers — from the Charente to the Tietê — exploring their cultural, historical and environmental dimensions.
Coming Up
04Getting AroundHow to move
Rodízio today (Thursday): Plates ending in 7 and 8 are restricted in the centro expandido from 7h–10h and 17h–20h. No rodízio on weekends or holidays.
Luz-district circuit: All three major Luz museums — Pinacoteca, CCBB and Museu da Língua Portuguesa — are within a ten-minute walk of Luz metro station (Line 1-Azul and Line 4-Amarela via transfer at República). Start at the Pinacoteca (opens 10h), then walk south-east to the CCBB (5 min), then north to the Museu da Língua at Estação da Luz (5 min).
Paulista circuit: MASP, Japan House, Itaú Cultural and Sesc Avenida Paulista are all on or just off Avenida Paulista. Trianon-MASP metro (Line 2-Verde) drops you at the museum’s front door.
05Food & DrinkWhere to eat
Near the Luz circuit: The CCBB café serves solid espresso and light meals inside the historic building. For a proper lunch, walk five minutes south to the Centro Histórico’s Bar da Dona Onça (Av. Ipiranga 200, inside Edifício Itália) for updated comfort food — the frango caipira with mandioca is a standard. The Mercado Municipal (Rua da Cantareira) is a 15-minute walk east from the CCBB for the classic mortadela sandwich and fresh fruit.
Paulista corridor: After the MASP, A Casa do Porco (Rua Araújo 124) remains the city’s essential pork-focused experience — book ahead or arrive early for the lunch queue. For something lighter, Balaio IMS (inside the Instituto Moreira Salles on Paulista) offers contemporary Brazilian plates in an elegant setting.
Thursday night: Vila Madalena and Pinheiros are the go-to neighbourhoods for evening dining. The area around Rua Aspicuelta and Rua Wisard is walkable and dense with options ranging from Japanese izakayas to natural wine bars.
06Practical InfoNeed to know
Consulates: The US Consulate General (Rua Henri Dunant 700, Chácara Santo Antônio) handles American-citizen services by appointment. The British Consulate (Rua Ferreira de Araújo 741, Pinheiros) processes visa and passport enquiries weekday mornings. Both recommend scheduling via their online portals well in advance.
Health: Hospital Sírio-Libanês (Rua Dona Adma Jafet 91, Bela Vista) and Hospital Albert Einstein (Av. Albert Einstein 627, Morumbi) are the principal private hospitals with English-speaking staff. For pharmacies, Drógasil and Drogaria São Paulo are widespread and typically open until 22h.
Post-Carnaval note: The city has fully returned to normal operations after the feriado. All public services, banks and government offices are running on standard schedules. Carnaval blocos may still appear sporadically in some neighbourhoods through the weekend as part of the pós-Carnaval tradition.
07Community & Local LifeLocal life
Expat networks: InterNations São Paulo and Gringo in São Paulo are active on social media and organise regular meetups, typically in Pinheiros, Vila Madalena or Jardins. The American Society of São Paulo hosts monthly events and is a good starting point for newcomers.
Language: Portuguese-language schools catering to expats include Be Local, Caminhos Language Centre and Braz-Portuguese. Group classes typically start at R$80–120 per hour. Many cultural institutions offer free or low-cost Portuguese workshops — check Sesc and CCBB Educativo schedules.
Markets: The Feira da Benedito Calixto in Pinheiros (Saturdays, 9h–19h) is this weekend’s best bet for antiques, vinyl, street food and live music. The Feira da Liberdade (Sundays) in the Japanese-Brazilian neighbourhood is a classic for yakisoba, taiyaki and cultural browsing.
08SportsGame day
Brasileirão Round 4 — Wednesday Results
Palmeiras 2–1 Fluminense
Vitor Roque (penalty) and Allan put Palmeiras in command; Luciano Acosta pulled one back for Flu. Palmeiras move to 10 points from four matches, the strongest opening in the Brasileirão.
São Paulo 1–0 Coritiba
Cauly converted from the spot to give São Paulo a narrow home win. The Tricolor sit on 9 points, keeping pace with Palmeiras at the top of the early table.
Grêmio 2–1 Atlético-MG
Noriega and Marlon scored for Grêmio; Victor Hugo replied for Galo. Natanael was sent off in the 16th minute, leaving Atlético a man short for most of the match.
Also Wednesday
Cruzeiro 1–1 Corinthians, Bragantino 1–1 Athletico-PR, Remo 1–1 Internacional. Thursday: Santos v Vasco at 19h in Vila Belmiro — both sides on just 1 point, with Vasco under interim manager Bruno Lazaroni following Fernando Diniz’s sacking.
Paulistão — Semifinal Weekend
Saturday, February 28 — 20h30: Novorizontino v Corinthians at Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi in Novo Horizonte. The league leaders host the defending champions in a single-leg semifinal; penalties decide if level after 90 minutes. Novorizontino finished the phase with the best campaign (19 pts); Corinthians advanced via an epic 8–7 penalty shootout against Portuguesa after a 1–1 draw at the Canindé. TV Record, Cazé TV, TNT and HBO Max.
Sunday, March 1 — 20h30: Palmeiras v São Paulo at Arena Crefisa Barueri. The Choque-Rei semifinal — Palmeiras (2nd, 19 pts) host São Paulo (3rd, 16 pts) in what could be the most-watched Paulistão match of the season. Palmeiras come off a 4–0 demolition of Capivariano with Vitor Roque scoring twice; São Paulo beat Bragantino 2–1 away. Same broadcast channels. Finals: March 4 and 8.
Recopa Sul-Americana
Tonight in Rio: Flamengo v Lanús at the Maracanã (21h30). Lanús won the first leg 1–0 in Argentina. Flamengo need a two-goal win to lift the trophy in 90 minutes; a one-goal win ties the aggregate and forces extra time (2 x 15 min), then penalties if still level. ESPN/Disney+. The result could set the mood for Flamengo’s involvement in the Cariocão semifinals this weekend.
09Business & MarketsMarket watch
The Ibovespa briefly touched 192,623 points on Wednesday — its first time above the 192k threshold — before profit-taking pulled it back to close at 191,247 (-0.13%). The intraday record underscores the strength of foreign inflows, which reached R$35.6 billion year-to-date through February 20. The dollar continued its decline, settling at R$5.1247 (-0.60%), its lowest since May 21, 2024, and now down 6.64% for the year. Nvidia reported Q4 earnings after the close in New York yesterday — watch for AI-sector spillover on B3 today. The latest Focus survey consensus for 2026 GDP growth stands at 2.01%, with year-end Selic projected at 15.00%. Brazil’s Central Bank (BCB) next meets March 18–19. The Atlas/Bloomberg poll for the 2026 presidential race shows Flávio Bolsonaro (46.3%) in a statistical tie with Lula (46.2%).
10Looking AheadPlan ahead
Friday, February 27: Frestas – Trienal de Artes opens at Sesc Sorocaba with 80-plus artists. Brasileirão Round 5 continues through the weekend.
Saturday, February 28: Free entry at the Pinacoteca (all three buildings). Paulistão semifinal: Novorizontino v Corinthians, 20h30 in Novo Horizonte. Feira da Benedito Calixto in Pinheiros (9h–19h).
Sunday, March 1: Paulistão Choque-Rei semifinal: Palmeiras v São Paulo, 20h30 at Arena Barueri. Feira da Liberdade. Second Sunday of March (March 8) is the next free Pinacoteca Sunday.
March 4 & 8: Paulistão final (two legs). The two semifinal winners meet for the state championship.
March — coming soon: Pascale Marthine Tayou’s first Brazilian institutional solo at Pina Luz. Sandra Gamarra Heshiki retrospective at the MASP (from March 6). IMS Paulista: women’s photobooks exhibition (from March 17). Nvidia earnings spillover on B3 could set the tone for tech-sector positioning this week.
São Paulo Daily Brief — Thursday, February 26, 2026
Published for informational purposes. Verify all times, prices and availability before visiting. Museum hours and event schedules may change without notice.