Want to know what to do in São Paulo in January? To end the first month of the year on a high note, we’ve prepared a selection of activities for all ages.
After all, the wish of the entire São Paulo Secreto team is that 2025 will be the best year ever, full of positive energy. And, of course, that you continue to enjoy the city to the full. Let’s go?
Paid plans to enjoy January in São Paulo
Lektrik: A festival of lights
Following its success in the United States, Lektrik: International Festival of Lights has arrived in São Paulo, offering a unique multi-sensory experience. Enjoy more than 100 illuminated sculptures, as well as acrobatic performances, live music and gastronomic options. The perfect plan for all ages!
📅 Various dates!
🎟 From R$49, available here
📍 Botanical Garden
Vacation guide
The school vacations are finally here! To cheer up the kids and make life easier for parents, we’ve put together a guide with fun activities for the little ones during this month off. Check out all the tips here!
The FRIENDS™ Experience
In January, São Paulo welcomes The FRIENDS™ Experience, an attraction inspired by the iconic TV series Friends! The experience includes nostalgic settings, such as the famous Central Perk sofa and Rachel and Monica’s purple door, where fans can recreate memorable scenes. There’s also behind-the-scenes trivia, chats with the creators, a themed café and a store with exclusive products.
📅 Various dates!
🎟 From R$39.90, available here
📍 Shopping Cidade São Paulo
Pre-Carnival in SP
In 2025, Carnival won’t be until March. But you don’t have to wait that long for the revelry to begin! Right now in January, São Paulo is hosting several pre-carnival parties and shows, with options for all ages. Check out your favorite in this article and have fun!
A Tribute to King Pelé
A great way to enjoy São Paulo in January is to visit the exhibition “A Tribute to King Pelé”. Covering more than 2,000 square meters, the interactive exhibition celebrates the legacy of Brazil’s greatest soccer idol, featuring fifteen themed environments that combine technology, augmented reality and the player’s original items, such as shirts and medals.
📅 Various dates!
🎟 From R$40, available here
📍 Eldorado Shopping Center
Me, Ayrton Senna da Silva – 30 Years
This interactive exhibition celebrates Ayrton Senna’s legacy through technology. Tools such as 3D modeling and artificial intelligence recreate key moments in his career, narrated from the perspective of Senna himself. The experience includes the driver’s personal items, promoting a multi-sensory journey based on values such as determination and overcoming.
Until 16/03
🎟 From R$ 25
📍 Lar Center Shopping Mall
Eternal Brilliance
Starring Reynaldo Gianecchini and Tainá Müller, Brilho Eterno returns to the stage in São Paulo in January. Inspired by the classic film “Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind” (2004), the play presents a new story that explores the complexities of love and human suffering in a playful, comic and non-linear way. With casual costumes and original music, the play invites the audience to reflect on human relationships in the contemporary world, especially in the post-pandemic context.
📅 Until 23/02
🎟 From R$ 25
📍 Teatro Bravos: Rua Coropé, 88 – Pinheiros
A Day on Broadway
The super-production A Day on Broadway also arrives in São Paulo in January, directed by Billy Bond. The show pays homage to the great classics of American musicals, such as Evita, Chicago, Cats, Mamma Mia and others, with scenes full of live performances. All this while following a family in New York, where the children get lost on the subway and, trying to find their parents again, end up exploring Broadway.
Until 22/02/25
🎟 From R$ 37,50
📍 Claro Mais Theater
Finland
The award-winning play Finland, by French playwright Pascal Rambert, will premiere in Brazil in January 2025. The play delves into the dynamics of a couple facing separation in a hotel room in Helsinki, addressing issues such as gender equality and breaking with patriarchal standards.
📅 From 22/01/25
🎟 From R$40
📍 Teatro Vivo
Bruce LaBruce uncensored
The exhibition pays tribute to the renowned filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, known for tackling themes such as sexuality, gender identity and queer culture in his works. The exhibition is organized into three sections, each exploring different facets of the artist.
Until 26/01/25
🎟 From R$20 (free on Tuesdays)
📍Museum of Image and Sound
Makeda – The Queen of Happy Arabia
This children’s musical aims to bring a powerful message of empowerment to black children. Directed by Allex Miranda, the play tells the story of Makeda, a young African princess destined to become the Queen of Sheba. Guided by her great-great-grandfather, she learns to use her imagination to face her fears and explore universes full of inspiring stories of the great queens of the past.
Until 26/01/25
🎟 From R$ 15
📍CCBB-SP
The Cinema of Billy Wilder
This immersive exhibition pays tribute to Billy Wilder, the renowned filmmaker of the 20th century. The show occupies three floors of the museum and highlights 13 of his productions, with items such as original costumes, behind-the-scenes photographs, stage objects and iconic recreations, such as the staircase in Twilight of the Gods. The program also includes film screenings, debates, courses and masterclasses on his work.
📅 Until 26/01/25
🎟 From R$10
📍 MIS Jardim Europa
Love Cabaret
In January, how about a night of attractions in honor of art and desire? Keep an eye on the Love Cabaret where the fun never ends!
Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum – 30 years
This exhibition celebrates three decades of one of the most iconic shows on Brazilian TV. The nostalgic show features 18 magical sets, original objects and new environments that recreate the universe of the famous castle from the 1990s, while also paying homage to the professionals behind the scenes. With tickets starting at R$20, the event is an unmissable opportunity for fans of all ages to relive unforgettable memories.
🗓️ Until 31/01/25
🎟 From R$ 20
📍 Solar Fábio Prado
Circomuns show
Circomuns, by Circo Teatro Palombar, celebrates everyday life in São Paulo’s East Zone. Inspired by the stories of residents such as students, delivery boys and street artists, the show combines the world of contemporary circus with the reality of the periphery. So get ready for a play full of poetry, sensitivity and cultural references such as pixação, hip-hop and breakdance.
🗓️ Until 19/01/25
🎟 From R$ 15
📍 Sesc Belenzinho
Candlelight Concerts
This month, the candlelight concerts return for another season in São Paulo. Check out some of the performances below:
- 24 e 26/01: Candlelight: The Best of Bridgerton
- 17/01: Candlelight: Metallica Tribute
- 18/01: Candlelight: Magical Soundtracks
- 25/01: Candlelight: Rock Classics
Dining in the Dark
Can you imagine having a meal completely in the dark? Curious, right? Then get your ticket for Dining in the Dark and experience this adventure!
Bars with beats
Some people prefer beer others opt for drink and there are those who prefer a good, cold fruit shake. If you fall into the latter group, here are five bars with fruit shakes to cool off in SP, perfect for the summer that is already knocking on our doors.
Neon Brush
Unleash your inner artist at this incredible experience of painting and drinking in the dark, for which tickets are already on sale. So don’t waste time and book your place.
Water parks near SP
How about taking advantage of the hot weather to enjoy your vacation in a water park? Our guide brings you options close to São Paulo!
Shows at Terra SP
More names in music return to Terra SP this month to rock the Zona Sul concert hall:
- 18/01: Fresno
- 24/01: Israel & Rodolffo
- 31/01: Nando Reis
Free plans to enjoy January in São Paulo
Nas Batalhas Festival
In January, the Nas Batalhas Festival offers an intense program that celebrates the diversity and protagonism of hip hop and Afro-diasporic culture. Four Sesc units in São Paulo will host dance battles, workshops and conversation circles, as well as performances by DJs and renowned artists such as Raquel Cabaneco, Bboy Chileno and Helena Black. The program also includes activities for children and teenagers that reinforce resistance, expression and belonging through dance and music.
Until 19/01/25
🎟 Free
📍 Sescs Belenzinho, Guarulhos, Paulista and Itaquera
A Defect of Color
Inspired by the work of Ana Maria Gonçalves, this exhibition addresses themes such as the African diaspora, ancestry, slavery and resistance. Bringing together works by more than 130 artists, it dialogues deeply with the central issues of the book ‘Um Defeito de Cor’.
Until 26/02/25
🎟 Free
📍 Sesc Pinheiros
Terra Verão 2025: You on the Move
In January, São Paulo will also host Terra Verão 2025: Você em Movimento, a free event that combines health, leisure and entertainment for all ages. Promoted by the Terra portal, the program includes yoga classes, fit dance, capoeira, skateboarding and free physical assessment, as well as live DJs, gastronomic options and a kids’ area.
📅 25 e 26/01/25
🎟 Free
📍 Villa-Lobos Park
Bureaucratic Ballet
In January, São Paulo hosts the art installation “Balé Burocrático”. The work makes use of 150 old staples from administrative processes, suspended with filo skirts, which poetically explore the relationship between bureaucracy, memory and the role of the state in culture.
Until 28/01/25
🎟 Free
📍 Lobby of the Municipal Historical Archive
Agita + Férias
In January, SP City Hall is holding Agita Mais Férias, a free event that provides entertainment and games for children. There will be sports and dance workshops, play areas for babies, street games and much more! Check out the full program here.
📅 17 to 19, 24 to 26 and 31/01/25, from 10am to 5pm
🎟 Free
📍 SP’s sports centers
Life in Cordel Literature
This temporary exhibition celebrates cordel literature through life stories transformed into poetry, illustrated by woodcuts. The show highlights the epic and everyday narratives of personalities such as Ailton Krenak and Cleone Santos, as well as showing unpublished accounts of notable figures from the Luz region of São Paulo.
📅 Until February
🎟 Free
📍 Museum of the Portuguese Language
Oswald de Andrade Occupation
This exhibition is an excellent opportunity to learn about the life and legacy of Oswald de Andrade, the iconic modernist writer. It explores his career in four main areas: biography, (with personal items and audio recordings of the author) literature, politics and modernism, which highlights his works and theatrical production. Historical documents, testimonies from family members and videos enrich the experience, making the exhibition an unmissable dive into the universe of one of the greatest names in Brazilian culture.
Until 23/02/25
🎟 Free
📍 Itaú Cultural
