Entertainment

It's impossible not to be entertained in São Paulo. As a melting pot of people from all over Brazil, the city has a character that reflects a bit of each region: the South, Northeast, Central and North. This can be observed in the unique culture of each district, in the gastronomy, and also in the entertainment possibilities. In São Paulo, you can find everything from striptease shows to more sober activities like museum touring. If you're a museum lover, don't miss the "MIS," or Museu da Imagem e do Som (Sound and Image Museum), truly an extraordinary sensory experience. In São Paulo, it's easy to find performances of traditional or modern Brazilian music, screenings of the latest Hollywood movie in one of the 250 cinemas dotted around the city, a football match in the Morumbi or Pacaembú stadiums, or the presentation of a play by celebrated Brazilian dramatist Nelson Rodrigues.

Whatever you are looking for, São Paulo has it: traditional and modern museums; theatres; public parks and gardens; dance clubs; bars (whether they be straight, gay or lesbian); restaurants offering typical Brazilian and/or international food; health and gym clubs; running tracks; boat rides in the reservoirs; water-theme parks; amusement parks; forrós (typical dancing and music events from the north-east, which are very popular); outdoor performances; nightclubs; dance presentations; classical music; opera; libraries; and tours of the city. And if that is still not enough, you could visit nearby locations such as the Santos and Guarujá beaches, just 80 km from the city.

For all those devotees of city nightlife, the main districts to head for are those of Jardins, Bela Vista, Moema, Itaim-Bibi, Vila Madalena and Pinheiros. Here await most of the best restaurants, nightclubs (with or without live musical performances), theatres, art galleries and sophisticated fashion stores. Alongside the previously mentioned number of traditional movie theatres and multiplexes (these last normally found within shopping centres), there is also the option of the Cinemateca and some art-house cinemas, offering presentations of non-commercial and cult films. For the theatre crowd, more than forty theatres are open all year round, with a variety of performances for both adults and children. You can check what's playing in the local newspapers and weekly magazines, with the most complete entertainment guide appearing in the “A Folha de São Paulo” broadsheet (with its magazine supplement every Friday). Tickets for the theatre should be booked well in advance.

Neither is São Paulo bereft of entertainment options for all those younger visitors to the city. From the local zoo to Wet 'N' Wild São Paulo with its numerous water slides, the Parque da Mônica, the Playcenter and the Hopi Hari (100 kilometres from the city) with 179,000 square metres of attractions. Or you could take the whole family on a trip to the Guarapiranga Reservoir, which offers boats and hydroplane rides, man-made beaches and natural forests.

For those interested in the city's history and colonisation, it's worth visiting to the Páteo do Colegio, the Museu Anchieta, the Museu Ipiranga, the Museu do Folclore, the Parque do Ibirapuera and the Instituto Butantã. Other interesting places include the Pinacoteca do Estado, the Jockey Club, the Latin American Memorial, the São Paulo Art Gallery, the Museu de Arte Contemporânea e de Arte Moderna, the Pico do Jaraguá and the Parque Ecológico do Tietê.

Contemporary art and photographic exhibitions are organised throughout the year, not only in the most famous galleries, but also in dozens of other art galleries spread throughout the city. You can find information on these exhibitions in newspaper guides or in guides found in hotel receptions, or in tourist information bureaus. Brazilian and international cultural activities, organised by SESC (Serviço Social do Comercio) and funded by local big businesses in and around São Paulo are also recommended.