Dress code tip: The rain is finally easing — light drizzle today instead of yesterday’s steady downpour. Temperatures climbing toward 24°C. Still bring a compact umbrella and a light layer for air-conditioned spaces. Thursday looks better (27°C, 50% rain), and the Carnaval forecast improves dramatically: Friday at the Sambódromo looks warm (28°C, scattered showers), Saturday the 14th is shaping up ideal — 29°C, only 15% chance of rain. Pack accordingly.
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02
\nDay at a Glance
\n10 headlines
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Quick Scan — What’s Happening Today
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CCBB SP reopens — Torres García 150 Years. Curator talk tonight 18h30. Free.
Pinacoteca — Trabalho de Carnaval still the week’s essential exhibition. 10–18h, R$40.
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Itaú Cultural Game+ open — 51 playable games, 25 consoles. Ocupação Grande Othelo. Free.
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Sesc 24 de Maio HIP-HOP 80’sp now open — 3,000+ pieces curated by OSGEMEOS & KL Jay. Free.
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Brasileirão R3: São Paulo vs Grêmio tonight 21h30 (MorumBIS). Corinthians vs Bragantino Thu 20h.
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USD/BRL at R$5.19 — real at strongest since May 2024. Selic at 15%, March cut expected.
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Carnaval countdown: 2 days — Sambódromo Anhembi Grupo Especial Fri 13 & Sat 14.
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No blocos today — streets still quiet. Official blocos start Saturday Feb 14 (700+ across the city).
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Rua 25 de Março open for last-minute Carnaval costumes and accessories — go today or tomorrow.
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Wednesday is your last real window before Carnaval takes over. The pré-Carnaval weekend is behind us — Calvin Harris, Ivete Sangalo, Emicida, and 80+ blocos tore through the city — and the official festival starts in just two days.
This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of São Paulo business and economic developments.
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The CCBB reopens today after its Tuesday closure, and this is the day to see Torres García: 150 Years — 500 works by the Uruguayan modernist who reshaped how Latin America thought about art. A curator’s talk with Saulo di Tarso runs tonight at 18h30 (free, 40 spots).
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MASP is in transition — the Histórias da Ecologia and Clarissa Tossin shows closed Feb 1, but the permanent collection on the iconic glass easels, the Cinco Ensaios sobre o MASP in the new Edifício Pietro Maria Bardi, and Abel Rodríguez’s extraordinary botanical drawings (through April 5) remain essential viewing.
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The Brasileirão is in full swing alongside the Paulistão’s final stretch. São Paulo plays Grêmio tonight at the MorumBIS (21h30). Corinthians hosts Bragantino tomorrow for the Brasileirão’s 3rd round. The Paulistão’s final group-stage round is Sunday the 15th — during Carnaval.
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Thursday is the absolute last day for Carnaval preparation — stock your fridge, withdraw cash, sort costumes. From Friday, the city transforms.
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\nSão Paulo Daily Brief for Wednesday, February 11, 2026. (Photo Internet reproduction)
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03
\nCulture & Events
\nFull listings
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Museums & Exhibitions
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CCBB SP — Joaquín Torres García: 150 Years
\nOpen + Event
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R. Álvares Penteado, 112 — Centro · Wed–Mon 09:00–20:00 · Free
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The largest Torres García retrospective ever mounted in Brazil — nearly 500 works including paintings, manuscripts, maquettes, drawings, and the famous wooden toys. The iconic América Invertida (1943) hangs as a mobile in the rotunda. Curator Saulo di Tarso gives a talk tonight at 18h30 on curatorship, museography and the exhibition’s pedagogical design (free, Auditorium, 40 spots, arrive early). Also showing: CORpo MANIFESTO by Sérgio Adriano H (through March 9). Through March 9.
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Why it matters for expats: This is the exhibition of the week. Torres García’s “our north is the south” philosophy is as relevant as ever. The 1901 neoclassical CCBB building is worth the visit alone. The curator talk tonight is a rare chance to hear the thinking behind the show — arrive by 17h30 to secure a seat.
The museum is between exhibition cycles — Histórias da Ecologia ended Feb 1 and the new Histórias Latino-Americanas programme opens March 6. But the permanent collection on Lina Bo Bardi’s glass easels — Renoir, Van Gogh, Portinari, Di Cavalcanti — is always worth the visit. In the Edifício Pietro Maria Bardi (the new building), the Cinco Ensaios sobre o MASP programme continues, including Abel Rodríguez — Mogaje Guihu: A Árvore da Vida e da Abundância, a moving posthumous exhibition of 65 botanical drawings from the Amazonian indigenous artist (through April 5).
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Why it matters for expats: If you missed the free Tuesday yesterday, Friday evenings (18–20h30) are also free. The Abel Rodríguez show is a quiet masterpiece — a different way of seeing the Amazon before Carnaval’s urban chaos begins.
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Pinacoteca — Trabalho de Carnaval
\nOpen
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Pina Contemporânea — Av. Tiradentes, 273, Luz · Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00 · R$40 / Free Sat
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Over 200 works celebrating the invisible workforce behind Brazil‘s greatest festival: seamstresses, welders, carpenters, float engineers, choreographers. Curated by Ana Maria Maia and Renato Menezes, the exhibition reframes Carnaval as labour, not spectacle. Perfectly timed — the Anhembi barracões are running at full speed for Friday’s desfiles. Through April 12.
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Why it matters for expats: See the art of Carnaval’s making before you see the spectacle itself on Friday. The Pinacoteca campus in Luz is beautiful even in the rain.
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Itaú Cultural — Game+ Arte, Cultura e Comunidade
\nOpen
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Av. Paulista, 149 · Tue–Sat 11:00–20:00, Sun 11:00–19:00 · Free
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51 playable games across 25 consoles, from Atari to PS5. An ambitious survey of video games as art, economy, and community. Also showing: Ocupação Grande Othelo, celebrating the legendary actor’s 110th anniversary with 160+ original items including costumes, scripts, and photos — the exhibition space evokes a 1950s Rio street. Air-conditioned, interactive, right on the Paulista. Special Carnaval programming starts this weekend: Baitaclã Mirim (Sat 11h30), Bloco Afro é Di Santo (Fri 13 at 20h).
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Why it matters for expats: Still one of the best rainy-day options in the city. Great for kids, teens, and nostalgic adults. Combine with MASP or Japan House on the same stretch of Paulista.
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Sesc 24 de Maio — HIP-HOP 80’sp
\nOpen
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R. 24 de Maio, 109 — República · Tue–Sat 09:00–21:00, Sun 09:00–18:00 · Free
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Over 3,000 pieces tracing how hip-hop transformed São Paulo from the 1980s onward. Curated by OSGEMEOS, Rooneyoyo O Guardião, and KL Jay of Racionais MC’s. Opened yesterday — now running through March 29. The Sesc rooftop pool is open for summer — combine the exhibition with a swim on a clear day later this week.
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Japan House — Av. Paulista
\nOpen
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Av. Paulista, 52 · Tue–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–19:00 · Free
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Currently showing: Imbuídos das Forças das Florestas do Japão — Mestres da Carpintaria: Habilidade e Espírito, exploring the ancient Japanese tradition of building without nails or metal (through April 5). Also: A Vida que se Revela, a photography exhibition by Tokuko Ushioda and Rinko Kawauchi — mediated visits tomorrow at 11h and 15h. Also: Princípios Japoneses: Design e Recursos, on sustainable Japanese design. The ground-floor Aizomê café serves matcha and Japanese cuisine.
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04
\nTransport & Mobility
\nGetting around
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Metrô SP
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Normal weekday schedule. All lines operational. Extended hours begin Friday for Carnaval.
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Running
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Buses / CPTM
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Normal operations. No bloco-related diversions. SPTrans Sambódromo shuttles start Friday.
Transport tip: Normal operations across the city. Rodízio is active (plates 5 & 6). Light drizzle may slow traffic but no flooding alerts today. Metrô remains the safest and fastest option. Note: SPTrans will run special Sambódromo bus shuttles from Portuguesa-Tietê and Palmeiras-Barra Funda starting Friday. If you’re driving to the MorumBIS tonight for São Paulo vs Grêmio, leave early — match traffic and wet roads combine badly.
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05
\nFood & Drink
\nWhere to eat
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Restaurant of the Week
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→ Lena, Pinheiros — Chef Mário Santiago (ex-Noma, Mocotó). Mineiro-meets-global. Broa de milho com frango pinga e frita (R$35) is the dish. Dinner Tue–Sat, mains R$32–89.
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→ Barão do Café, Centro — Largo do Café in the historic Edifício Alhambra. Live music, R$30–60pp. Mon–Fri 7h–22h.
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Coffee & Quiet Spots
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→ Le Jazz Café, Av. Paulista — inside Livraria da Vila. Croissant R$15, espresso R$9.50. Bookshop-café energy.
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→ Aizomê Café, Japan House, Av. Paulista — matcha, Japanese cuisine. Quiet refuge on a drizzly day.
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Market & Street Food
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→ Mercado Municipal — mortadella sandwich at Bar do Mané (R$40), pastel de bacalhau at Hocca Bar (R$35). Mon–Sat 06–18h.
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→ Feijoada de Carnaval season — Bolinha (Cidade Jardim, since 1946) or Mocotó (Vila Medeiros). R$60–90pp.
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Carnaval Prep Tip
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Stock your fridge by tomorrow (Thursday). During Carnaval (Fri–Tue), many neighbourhood restaurants close or reduce hours. Bloco food is limited to espetinhos, caipirinhas, and cerveja. For sit-down meals during Carnaval, book Jardins or Pinheiros restaurants now — they are the last to close.
Santos survives — now 9 pts. Neymar nearing return to full fitness.
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Sports note: Two competitions running in parallel this week. The Brasileirão 2026 is underway — São Paulo hosts Grêmio tonight at the MorumBIS (21h30), and Corinthians faces league-leader Bragantino tomorrow (Thu 20h, Neo Química Arena). In the Paulistão, after the Derby weekend, the table reads: Novorizontino 1st (16 pts), Palmeiras 2nd (15), RB Bragantino 3rd (13), Portuguesa 4th (12, already qualified), Corinthians 5th (11), Guarani 6th (11), Botafogo-SP 7th (11), São Paulo 8th (10). Ponte Preta is mathematically relegated. The final group-stage round is Sunday the 15th — all 8 matches at 20h30, during Carnaval. São Bernardo vs Corinthians is the big one: Corinthians must avoid defeat to guarantee qualification. Quartas de final start February 22.
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09
\nBusiness & Economy
\nMarket pulse
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Markets Snapshot
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Ibovespa: Markets open today — last full trading week before Carnaval
\nSelic rate: 15.00%
\nUSD/BRL: 5.19
\nReal trend: Testing strongest levels since May 2024. Copom minutes confirmed easing likely in March, data-dependent. January IPCA came in at 4.44% YoY — broadly in line. Carry trade inflows and a softer USD supporting the real. B3 closes Friday, reopens Wednesday Feb 18.
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Coworking & Networking
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→ Wednesday — coworking spaces open. WeWork Paulista, Spaces Pinheiros, Selina Vila Madalena all operational.
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→ Today and tomorrow are the last normal work days before Carnaval. Most offices close from Friday. Plan deliverables accordingly.
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10
\nWeek Ahead
\nPlan ahead
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Thursday, Feb 12 — Last Quiet Day
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→ Japan House mediated visits — A Vida que se Revela at 11h and 15h. Free.
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→ Pinacoteca + Ibirapuera Park without bloco crowds. Rain clearing, 27°C expected.
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→ Brasileirão: Corinthians vs RB Bragantino (20h, Neo Química Arena).
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→ Final day to stock up on supplies, withdraw cash, sort costumes.
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Carnaval Week (Fri–Tue)
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→ Fri Feb 13 — Sambódromo Anhembi Grupo Especial Night 1. Itaú Cultural: Bloco Afro é Di Santo (20h). Carnaval na Cidade festival opens at Centro Esportivo Tietê (Sat–Tue).
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→ Sat Feb 14 — Sambódromo Night 2. Lauana Prado bloco (Ibirapuera 12h). Agrada Gregos with Gloria Groove (Ibirapuera 14h). Valentine’s Day. 700+ blocos. Museu da Língua Portuguesa: Mulheres no Samba special visit. Catavento: Catafolia.
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→ Sun Feb 15 — Paulistão R8 final group-stage (all matches 20h30). Carnaval na Cidade continues.
→ Feb 21 — Champions’ Parade at Anhembi. Post-Carnaval blocos Feb 21–22.
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Looking ahead: Carnaval officially starts in two days — Sambódromo Anhembi Grupo Especial parades Fri–Sat, Carnaval na Cidade festival (Anitta, Alok, Ludmilla) at Centro Esportivo Tietê Sat–Tue, Lauana Prado bloco (Sat 14, Ibirapuera), Agrada Gregos with Gloria Groove (Sat 14, Ibirapuera), Pabllo Vittar megabloco (Mon Feb 16, Ibirapuera — 2M+ expected), and Champions’ Parade at Anhembi (Feb 21). Plan now — accommodation and event tickets are moving fast. Read yesterday’s São Paulo daily brief here.
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São Paulo Culture-First City Brief
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Compiled by Rafael Silva Santos · All items verified against published organizer, venue, or institution listings
