Music : Latin House, Funk and Soul
As Brazil’s 2012 Carnival approaches, Guanabara are thrilled to announce their annual 6-day Carnaval, a celebration of life, love and music, which kicks off on Friday 17th February with a colourful procession by Ritmos da Cicade around the streets of Covent Garden. You can expect the best Brazilian bands and DJs, extended opening hours, a masked ball, fantastic happy hours and free dance lessons!
Friday February 17th: CARNAVAL 2012 LAUNCH PARTY - Ritmos da Cidade
First day of Carnival starts with a big bang... not only will Ritmos da Cicade parade their way to Guanabara dazzling and bursting ear drums with their performance around the streets of Covent Garden, but will also perform later on the stage, with their 25 strong team, making sure the music makes its way into your pores! Let the many sparkly dancers help you sweat it out on the dancefloor whilst DJ Limão serves up the hottest, liveliest and most genuine Brazilian carnival tunes. 5pm-4am
Saturday February 18th: CARNAVAL 2012 - BAL MASQUÉ with PARAÍSO SAMBA SCHOOL -
Although the mighty Samba parade is the best-known feature of the Rio Carnival, it is hundreds of local 'balls' that are the main attraction for "Cariocas" (natives of Rio) insiders. That's the atmosphere Guanabara creates on its second night of Carnival, and to make the most of the party, just wear a beautiful, mysterious, seductive and glitzy mask. PARAÍSO SAMBA SCHOOL parade from Seven Dials in Covent Garden to Guanabara earlier in the day, and later that night pound out the rhythms in serious carnival style with the most funked up dancers on Guanabara's stage. DJ Limao runs the Samba-Marathon, spinning tunes guaranteed to have you moving around the floor like a true Carioca. DRESS CODE: wear a mask!! (Masks will be available at Guanabara, don’t forget to grab yours!) Fancy dress is also welcomed. 5pm-4am.
Sunday February 19th: CARNAVAL 2012 - SAMBA DA RESSACA + FORRÓNAVAL
Our traditional Sunday with a Carnival twist and OPENING AT THE EARLIER TIME OF 12PM - with a delicious Feijoada buffet carefully prepared by the team at Guanabara. Enjoy LIVE SAMBA & PAGODE at 3.30PM with GRUPO SO KEM EH Live playing the most traditional PAGODE anthems and best carnival themed Old-School sambas around the table on the dancefloor in an intimate, warm environment, with the crowd singing along the classics of Brazil’s best-loved rhythms. FROM 7pm, Free forro classes and then at 8PM - ZEU AZEVEDO & FORRODAKI BAND will play their traditional Forró and invite some bad ass Brazilian Percussionist to play a very special Carnival set. Djs Bruno and André complete the night. 5pm-4am.
Monday February 20th: CARNAVAL 2012 - CARNAVAL CARIOCA
Our 4th night of mayhem pays tribute to Rio de Janeiro’s classic old-school carnival, back in the day when bands like MINIBLOCO, (live from 10pm) ruled the night playing "MARCHINHAS"(traditional Carnaval themes) and "FREVO"(Carnival madness from Pernambuco) with strong back-up drums and and a very horny horn section. Rio's very own DJ Fred Salgueiro drops the most popular carnival tunes before and after the band, and this Monday night is the cheapest ticket to Rio you'll ever find!
Tuesday February 21st: CARNAVAL 2012 - CLOSING PARTY - MICARETA DA BAHIA
To close our 5-day marathon we’ve saved the best till last. TRIBO(Live from 10pm) brings ELIZANGELA DA BAHIA and her strong beautiful voice to perform the top AXÉ music you can get. Ivete Sangalo, Daniela Mercury and Claudia Leite lovers, this is your night to singalong!! DJ Limao faithfully follows the Bahia philosophy that guides the night, spinning alongside the Axe classics, hints of Maracatu, and other Micareta tunes that you have to hear and dance to on Carnival.
Wednesday February 22nd: CARNAVAL HANGOVER SAMBA
If you survive the 5 days of Carnival without getting your feet destroyed, then consider yourself a lucky one! But you still have a last chance with our beloved GRUPO SOH KEM EH doing a special show on the Wednesday to celebrate and crown the Samba, the Carnival and life. Yes, you'll dance more. But don't worry, we have a first aid kit available...
Highlights Include:
? Full Carnival Parade led by Ritmos De Cidade
? A Masque Ball featuring Paraiso Samba School and DJ Limao’s samba marathon
? A fantastic night of Forro featuring Zeu Azevedo & Forródaqui Band
? Carnival Carioca (Rio’s Carnival) with a performance from Minibloco & DJ Fred Salgueiro
? To close the Carnival there’s the fantastic Micareta Da Bahia (Bahia Carnival) complete with live music from Salvador’s Tribo, and singer, Elizangela De Bahia - Axé (the rhythm of Bahia)
? Guanabara also has an extended licence for the opening weekend, with the party going on until 4am Friday 17th, Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th
“Carnival at Guanabara is the closest you can get to actually being in Rio or Salvador. The homesick Brazilians descend upon us and party with a contagious, non-stop energy that transforms the cold London February weather and infects our English customers with the heat, passion and joy of the greatest carnival on earth”. DJ Limao.
Listings Info
Carnaval 2012 at Guanabara
dates: Friday February 17th-Wednesday February 22nd
address: Parker Street (Corner of Drury Lane), Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5PW
Open from 5pm – 2.30am Mon-Sat
Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th: Open 5pm-4am
Happy Hour: Monday- Saturday - 5:00pm-7:00pm* 50% off all drinks incl. champagne.
HAPPY SUNDAYS HOUSE BEER £2.50 * CAIPIRINHA £3.50 ALL NIGHT
***Please note that HAPPY HOUR times are subject to change)
Tel: 020 7242 8600
www.guanabara.co.uk
Notes: A BIT OF CARNIVAL HISTORY
The Brazilian Carnival (spelled Carnaval in Portuguese) is an annual celebration held forty days before Easter (marking the start of Lent), in Brazil. "Carnival" literally means "to put away the meat" its root word being "carn" which means meat. It has some differences from its counterparts in Europe, as well there being variations across the large Brazilian territory. The Brazilian Carnival is known in Brazil simply as carnaval. It is a celebration of life, love and music.
Despite the Catholic inspiration, Brazilian Carnival is celebrated more as a profane feast than a religious event. In the late 19th Century, the cordões (literally laces in Portuguese) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro, which consisted of groups of people who would walk on the streets playing music and dancing. The cordões were ancestors of the modern samba school’s.
The blocos (blocks), another name for the cordões, are some of the current representations of the popular Brazilian Carnival. They are formed by people who dress in costumes according to certain themes, or to celebrate the carnival in specific ways. The schools of samba are truly organizations that work all year in order to prepare themselves for the samba schools parade.
The best-known Brazilian Carnival celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro, with its samba schools, blocos and bandas occupying entire neighborhoods. Whilst in Salvador (North Brazil) 2,000,000 carnaval dancers samba with 950,000 tourists on 25 kilometres of streets, public squares and avenues which are transformed into giant stages and dance floors.
GUANABARA is the environment where all come to eat, drink and play.
Guanabara is London's largest Brazilian late night venue. Open 7 nights a week with DJs, live acts and lots and lots of dancing - you'll always see something new at Guanabara. Guanabara is the tupi-guarani name for the famous bay in Rio de Janeiro, the gateway to Brazil and a home of blazing extremes. Boasting a cultural mix that embraces the playground of Copacabana beach, where the sidewalks are patterned with swells of black and white marble, to the hillside favela rising behind; from famous Ipanema beach and its high rise apartments to the Sugar Loaf and Jurujuba beach. Guanabara is a little corner of Brazil in London.