This town is full of bull...Parintins, Brazil (6/6/17)

Located on the island of Tupinambarana in the Amazon River, the city of Parintins has a little over 100,000 inhabitants.  For locals, it is a 25 hour riverboat ride from Manaus, but, in 2006, they joined the 21^st century when the Intel World Ahead Program introduced computers and satellite broadband to the community.

Parintins also hosts the second largest annual festival in Brazil, Festival Boi-Bumba, also known as Festival Folclorico de Parintins and Bumba Meu Boi.  Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the largest.  During the last weekend is June, the town population doubles, with many visitors sleeping on riverboats due to the lack of hotel rooms.

The festival centers around a legend based on a resurrected bull and combines Brazil’s Portuguese and indigenous heritages.  The community has built a U-shaped stadium called the Bumbodromo that holds 35,000 people.  Two local groups plan and practice year round for the lively and brightly colored competition between the Boi Capirchoso (Blue team) and Boi Garantido (Red team).  Each team has about 4000 members including musicians and dancers.  Teams are judged based on costumes, choreography, rhythm and music.  References to the teams, festival, and competition can be seen everywhere in the town.  During our time in Parintins, the city hosted a mini Boi-Bumba show for the passengers of the Navigator.  It was enjoyed by all who attended. 

We walked the town, but found that most shops were closed from noon to 2pm.  We found a few open air food vendors and enjoyed looking at the local vegetables.  We also noticed a chicken coop located in the middle of the street at a busy intersection and made a lot of KFC drive through jokes.  We purchased a couple of t-shirts, mandatory on all cruises, and a couple of trivets that were painted by a local artist while you watched.

Link to photos:

Parintins photos 6/6/17