Caminhada Noturna | |
---|---|
Status | Active [1] |
Genre | History and architecture [2] |
Frequency | Every Thursday, 8-10pm [1] |
Years active | 18 [3] |
Inaugurated | September 2005 [3] |
Founder | Carlos Beutel [3] |
Website |
www |
Caminhada Noturna ("Night Walk") is a weekly walking tour of the centre of São Paulo. It takes place every Thursday between 8 and 10 pm, starting and ending at the Municipal Theatre. It has taken place over 300 times [1] since September 2005. [3] It is attended by 50–100 people each week, [1] a mix of locals and tourists, [4] peaking at 300 attendees in 2012. [5] The walk is free to attend, and is supported by the local tourism organisation. [6]
It was founded by Carlos Beutel, who owns a vegetarian restaurant in the area. It was originally going to be a day walk, but it changed to a night walk following a suggestion by Carmen Gimenez and Nadir Khouri based on an existing night walk in Barcelona. It was associated with efforts to restore the centre of São Paulo, and a weekly community meeting to discuss problems in the local area of Rua Barão de Itapetininga. [3] The first tours started from Mário de Andrade Library, changing to the Theatre in 2006. [2]
Tour guides were arranged in 2006. [3] Each tour has a guest speaker (often an architect, artist or a local), who talks about the theme of the walk. [6] The walks cover the historical buildings and architecture in the centre of the city. [2]