The Open Archive Festival is back at the Municipal Historical Archive (AHM) with three days of completely free programming! With the theme “City, Work, and Memory,” the event connects the public to the narratives that have shaped São Paulo, especially the contribution of workers to the city’s development.
The program includes workshops, cultural evenings, artistic interventions, debates, and guided tours of the collection. Stay tuned!
Open Archive Festival 2026: Check out the full schedule
Samba and concert music
The festivities kick off on Thursday evening (the 24th) with the festival’s opening. On this day, visitors can enjoy a free concert by the Samba do Blue group (6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) and check out artistic interventions by the Coletivo Coletores collective (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.).
Another highlight is the FTM Ensemble, a quartet from the Municipal Theater that takes concert music beyond the stage. The group performs on Friday (25) at 9:30 a.m., with a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary Brazilian music.
Workshops, museum tours, and much more!
The workshops begin on Friday (25), with creation and memory as the central themes. “Reimagining the Archive: Layered Memories” (10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) uses historical photographs in collage and writing exercises, while the Handcrafted Bookbinding Workshop (1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.) invites participants to create a notebook using stitching and collage.
If you prefer to walk around the city, be sure to join “Memory and Citizenship: Anhangabaú Valley” (2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.), which takes you through the Historic Center and explores its landmarks and challenges. There will also be a guided tour of the exhibition “São Paulo and Its Workers,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at the curatorial process.
On Saturday (the 26th), the “O Pixo do Saci” Zine Workshop (1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.) will present the creative process behind the booklet for the exhibition “Zé Pequeno: o prumo e o pixo.” Meanwhile, the “Entre livros e arquivos” Book Club (3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) will host a discussion of Paula Fábrio’s *Casa de Família*, followed by a creative writing workshop.
These are just a few of the activities you can enjoy at the Municipal Historical Archive (AHM). Check out the full schedule here!
📍 Where: AHM – Praça Coronel Fernando Prestes, 152 – Bom Retiro | Near the Tiradentes Metro station (Line 1 – Blue)
📆 When: September 24–26 , 2026
🕰️ Hours: Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
🎟️ Admission: Free , but advance registration is required for some activities
🖼️ More information: Learn more on the festival’s official website
