Search
Brazil
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
French Guiana
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
Poland
Portugal
the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Canada
the United States
Mexico
the Dominican RepublicTurkey
South Africa
Australia
Fiji
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Popular festival · Gramado
Gramado’s Christmas season in the Serra Gaúcha, with the town lit up, parades and Christmas shows, choir concerts and a Christmas village in the downtown area.
In the photo: Gramado
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Gramado’s Natal Luz — Gramado
From late October to mid‑January, for more than two and a half months, covering Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
October/November/December/January
Dates change every year: check this year's date before you travel.
The festival
Natal Luz de Gramado began in 1986, when the community, inspired by Christmas celebrations in rural Germany, bought lights to decorate the town and organized a walk with hundreds of singers and Santas from Lago Joaquina Rita Bier to the São Pedro Apóstolo Mother Church. The festival grew and became Gramado’s longest season, running from October to January.
During the season, Gramado dresses up completely: avenues, squares and façades receive lights, trees and decorations, and the Rua Coberta and the town center host performances by choirs and bands. A Christmas village, with small houses, Santa’s house and activities for children, operates in a public square, and each night the lighting ceremony gathers people on the main avenue.
The large shows are the most sought‑after attractions. The Grand Christmas Parade takes place at Expogramado with floats, dancers and Christmas characters. Nativitaten, staged around a lake, tells the birth of Jesus with orchestra, choir, soloists, dancing fountains, lights and fireworks. The program changes slightly each edition, with other performances and concerts.
Natal Luz pairs well with other activities in Gramado and neighboring Canela, which has its own Christmas season: chocolates, colonial coffee buffets, parks and mountain tours. For families, it is one of the most traditional year‑end trips in southern Brazil.
The Grand Christmas Parade at Expogramado. Nativitaten. The nightly lighting ceremony. The Christmas village and choir performances in the center and on Rua Coberta.
The major shows require tickets: buy in advance on the official website and pick dates before booking your trip. Street performances and the Christmas village do not require tickets. Weekdays in November are the quietest; the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Eve are the busiest. Nights in the mountains can be cool even in summer: bring a jacket.
Gramado’s artisanal chocolates, colonial coffee buffets with cucas, pies, breads and cold cuts, fondue and, on Christmas nights, festive dinners with turkey and panettone at restaurants.
This is Gramado’s most in‑demand season. Book accommodation and show tickets months ahead, especially for December.
In the city
October/November/December/January
JanuaryOn January 20, the day of the city’s patron saint, which is a municipal holiday in Rio de Janeiro.
The patron saint’s day in Rio de Janeiro, with masses and the procession that carries the saint’s image from Tijuca to the Metropolitan Cathedral in the downtown area.
JanuaryOn the Thursday before the second Sunday after Epiphany (January 6), which is the Sunday of the Feast of the Lord of Bonfim; therefore it always takes place in January, usually on the second or third Thursday of the month.
A walking procession of several kilometers from Cidade Baixa to the Sacred Hill in Salvador, where baianas dressed in white wash the steps of the Basilica of the Senhor do Bonfim with scented water.
September/OctoberOnce a year, usually in September, sometimes in October.
The Italian culture festival of Petrópolis at the Palácio de Cristal, with Italian food stalls, music, workshops and a masked ball.
Your questions
From late October to mid‑January. Each edition’s dates and the shows’ schedules are published on the official website.
The Grand Christmas Parade at Expogramado and Nativitaten, staged around a lake with orchestra, choir, dancing fountains and fireworks. Both require tickets.
Yes. The city’s illumination, the lighting ceremony, the Christmas village and street performances do not require tickets.
Festivals and events in Brazil
OctoberOn the second Sunday of October, with the Trasladação on Saturday night and other processions on the preceding days; the celebration continues for another two weeks, until the Recírio.
The great procession of Our Lady of Nazareth through the streets of Belém on the second Sunday of October, with the rope pulled by devotees, the flower-covered berlinda, and the Círio lunch with maniçoba and duck in tucupi.
OctoberOn Sundays in October, the month of the sanctuary’s patron saint.
The Feast of Our Lady of Penha, held at the sanctuary atop the rock in Rio’s North Zone, features masses, processions and the 382-step staircase.
OctoberUsually in the first half of October, for about ten days.
The international film festival of Rio de Janeiro, featuring hundreds of Brazilian and foreign films in theaters across several neighborhoods of the city.
OctoberIn October, for about three weeks, usually from the first to the last week of the month.
The German-tradition festival in Blumenau, in the Itajaí Valley, featuring typical bands and folk dances at Parque Vila Germânica, parades on Rua XV de Novembro, draft beer and German food.
October/NovemberOnce a year, across two consecutive weekends between late October and early November.
Itaipava’s music and arts festival, held in the mountains of Petrópolis, featuring multiple stages, Brazilian and international artists, and outdoor programming.
November/December/JanuaryFrom late November to early January, throughout the Christmas season.
Petrópolis’ Christmas season, with the Crystal Palace lit up, concerts, choirs and children’s attractions in the historic center of the Imperial City.