Parintins Folklore Festival

Parintins Folklore Festival
Parintins Folklore Festival
	Official Poster for the 2026 Parintins Festival
Genre	Boi-Bumbá
Dates	Last weekend of June
Locations	Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil
Years active	1965–present
Website	www.festivaldeparintins.com.br

Parintins Folklore Festival (Portuguese: Festival Folclórico de Parintins), also known as the Parintins Festival (Portuguese: Festival de Parintins), is an annual Brazilian folk festival held in Parintins, Amazonas in Brazil. Usually staged over three nights during the last weekend of June, it centres on competitive performances by the boi-bumbá associations Boi Garantido and Boi Caprichoso.^[1]

The festival adapts elements of the Bumba-meu-boi tradition, especially the story of the death and resurrection of an bull, into large-scale arena spectacles. Caprichoso, whose colours are blue and white, and Garantido, whose colours are red and white. present themed productions combining toadas (songs), percussion, dance, theatrical narrative, costumes, scenery, Amazonian legends, and references to Indigenous cultures.^[1]

The performances take place at the Parintins Cultural Centre, popularly known as the Bumbódromo. The festival's competitive format includes individual and collective performance items, as well as scenic and musical elements, evaluated under the event's regulations.

Presentation at the festival in June 2003

The boi-bumbá cultural complex of Médio Amazonas and Parintins, which includes the arena form associated with the festival, was recognised as Brazilian cultural heritage in 2018.^[1]

National and international visibility

Despite its importance to the cultural identity of Amazonas, the Parintins Folklore Festival remained relatively little known outside the region for much of the 20th century. Its national visibility increased substantially during the 1990s, particularly following the success of the Amazonian music group Carrapicho and its 1996 hit Tic, Tic Tac, which incorporated musical elements associated with the festival and helped bring the rhythms of Parintins to audiences across Brazil.

The festival has also contributed songs that became widely associated with the culture of the two bois, including Vermelho, performed by Fafá de Belém, and Parintins Para o Mundo Ver. Through music, television broadcasts and the growing tourism industry surrounding the event, Parintins became increasingly recognized beyond Amazonas as a major center of Brazilian popular and folkloric culture.

The rivalry between the two bois also has an unusual effect on commercial branding in Parintins. During the festival period, businesses and national brands frequently adapt their visual identities to the colors associated with the competing associations: blue for Caprichoso and red for Garantido. This practice is particularly visible in the case of Coca-Cola, whose standard corporate color is red.

Coca-Cola has become a well-known example of this local adaptation. During the festival, the brand has produced and displayed special materials and packaging in both red and blue, corresponding to the two bois. In Parintins, Coca-Cola's branding can consequently appear in blue in locations associated with Caprichoso, a striking departure from the company's conventional global visual identity. Special festival editions have also combined the two colors or been produced in separate versions representing each side of the rivalry.

The phenomenon has become part of the festival's international cultural image and illustrates the extent to which the Caprichoso–Garantido rivalry influences commercial as well as artistic life in Parintins. Rather than representing a permanent change to Coca-Cola's global branding, the blue Coca-Cola imagery is a localized adaptation to the cultural context of the festival.

History

Boi Garantido, identified by its red-and-white colours and the red heart on its forehead.

In Parintins, groups known as bois (bulls) had performed forms of Bumba meu boi since the early 20th century. These groups were smaller and less formally organised than the later festival associations, and documentation from the period is limited. Garantido and Caprichoso had developed a local rivalry before the creation of the festival, alongside other groups, including Diamantino, Ramalhete, Fita Verde, Corre-Campo, Mina de Ouro, Galante and Campineiro.^[2]

The first Parintins Folklore Festival was held in 1965. It was organised by young people associated with Juventude Alegre Católica (JAC) to raise funds for the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of Parintins. The event was initially organised as a June festival involving several folk groups. Garantido and Caprichoso were not invited, and there was no contest between them.^[3]

In 1966, Garantido and Caprichoso participated in the festival for the first time. Their appearances were not yet organised as a regular title contest: the associations performed separately, reflecting concerns about confrontations between their supporters. This edition is counted as the first official edition of the festival, although it did not produce a champion under the method used in this article.^[3]

Boi Caprichoso, known as the *touro negro* ("black bull"), identified by its blue-and-white colours and the blue star on its forehead.

The first competitive encounter between the two associations occurred on 24 June 1967. After the two presentations, the master of ceremonies invited the audience to indicate, by applause, which performance it preferred. Caprichoso received the most applause and was considered the winner. However, the event was not yet an officially established contest, as there was no formal regulation, judging commission, or trophy. In 1968, the JAC introduced a prize for the winner, while the result continued to be determined by audience applause; Garantido won that year.^[3]

After three years in which the result had been determined by audience applause, the festival entered a new phase in 1970 with the introduction of a judging panel to evaluate the performances of the two bulls.

The last criterion continued to be determined by audience applause. Thus, public participation remained part of the competition, but applause was no longer the sole basis for determining the winner. For the first time, Caprichoso and Garantido were evaluated according to a set of formal judging criteria.

Over subsequent decades, the festival developed from a local June celebration into a major cultural event in Amazonas. The two bois became structured cultural associations, and their annual productions expanded in scale and complexity. They also appear at related local events, including Carnaboi, a carnival-period celebration in Parintins.^[4]

Boi Campineiro

Boi Campineiro is the third historic Boi-bumbá association of Parintins. It is traditionally associated with the colors green and yellow and is identified by a yellow sun on the forehead of its bull figure.^[5]

Campineiro became involved in the history of the Parintins competition on two exceptional occasions, although the circumstances of its participation were different.

1978: Campineiro was invited by Boi Garantido to take part in a dissident presentation organized at the grounds of the JAC , after Garantido declined to participate at the venue officially designated by the municipal government. Caprichoso had attended the official festival at the designated venue but later went to the dissident presentation after being invited. Following a hostile incident there, Caprichoso withdrew and did not return for the remaining nights. Campineiro subsequently took part in the remaining presentations at the dissident venue. In the reconstruction adopted here, however, Campineiro's participation in 1978 was not part of the official competition, and Caprichoso is credited with the championship by walkover (W.O.) because it had attended the officially designated festival while Garantido had not.^[3]

1983: Campineiro was officially invited by the municipal government to participate in the competition after Boi Caprichoso withdrew from that year's festival amid disputes concerning the organization of the event. Campineiro competed against Garantido in the municipalized arena and was recorded as the runner-up, while Garantido was declared champion. Unlike 1978, Campineiro's participation in 1983 was part of the official municipal competition.

Campineiro historically had considerably fewer financial and organizational resources than Parintins' two principal Boi-bumbá associations, Boi Caprichoso and Boi Garantido, and consequently remained primarily a community-based folkloric organization.

In recognition of its historical importance to Parintins' folkloric tradition, Boi Campineiro participated in a special presentation at the Bumbódromo during the second night of the 2024 Parintins Folklore Festival. The presentation was led by João Paulo Faria, the Amo do Boi of Garantido.^[6]

Results and themes

The table distinguishes the festival's numbered editions from the allocation of titles.^[3]

Festival editions, champions and themes
Edition	Year	Champion and theme	Runner-up and theme
1st	1966	Garantido and Caprichoso participated, but no title was awarded.
2nd	1967	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
3rd	1968	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
4th	1969	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
5th	1970	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
6th	1971	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
7th	1972	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
8th	1973	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
9th	1974	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
10th	1975	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
11th	1976	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
12th	1977	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
13th	1978	★ Caprichoso	W.O.
14th	1979	★ Caprichoso	❤︎ Garantido
15th	1980	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
16th	1981	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
17th	1982	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso
18th	1983	❤︎ Garantido	☀ Campineiro
19th	1984	❤︎ Garantido	★ Caprichoso O Infinito
20th	1985	★ Caprichoso Negrão Maravilha	❤︎ Garantido
21st	1986	❤︎ Garantido Garantido e Você, uma Amizade que Ninguém Destrói	★ Caprichoso Arte, Amor e Paz
22nd	1987	★ Caprichoso Revolução da Arte no Mundo	❤︎ Garantido
23rd	1988	❤︎ Garantido Brinquedo de São João	★ Caprichoso Rei Negro, Tributo à Liberdade
24th	1989	❤︎ Garantido O Eterno Campeão	★ Caprichoso A Força da Natureza
25th	1990	★ Caprichoso Raízes de um Povo	❤︎ Garantido Garantido, Amor, Magia da Ilha
26th	1991	❤︎ Garantido Uma Origem Cabocla	★ Caprichoso Cultura Cabocla
27th	1992	★ Caprichoso A Arte de Folclorear	❤︎ Garantido Folguedo de São João
28th	1993	❤︎ Garantido Rio Amazonas, Esse Rio é Minha Vida	★ Caprichoso No Silêncio da Mata
29th	1994	★ Caprichoso Capricho dos Deuses	❤︎ Garantido Templo das Eternas Lendas
30th	1995	★ Caprichoso Luz e Mistérios da Floresta	❤︎ Garantido Uma Viagem à Amazônia
31st	1996	★ Caprichoso Criação Cabocla	❤︎ Garantido Lendas, Rituais e Sonhos
32nd	1997	❤︎ Garantido Parintins Para o Mundo Ver	★ Caprichoso O Boi de Parintins
33rd	1998	★ Caprichoso 85 Anos de Cultura	❤︎ Garantido 500 Anos do Passado Para Construir o Futuro
34th	1999	❤︎ Garantido Mito, Cultura e Arte	★ Caprichoso Faz da Arte Sua História
35th	2000	❤︎ Garantido Meu Brinquedo de São João	Draw^[7]
35th	2000	★ Caprichoso A Terra é Azul	Draw^[7]
36th	2001	❤︎ Garantido Amazônia Viva	★ Caprichoso Amor e Paixão
37th	2002	❤︎ Garantido O Boi da Amazônia	★ Caprichoso Amazônia Cabocla de Alma Indígena
38th	2003	★ Caprichoso 90 Anos de Raízes e Tradições na Amazônia	❤︎ Garantido Amazônia, Santuário Esmeralda
39th	2004	❤︎ Garantido Amazônia, Coração Brasileiro	★ Caprichoso Amazonas: Terra do Folclore, Fonte de Vida
40th	2005	❤︎ Garantido Festa da Natureza	★ Caprichoso A Estrela do Brasil
41st	2006	❤︎ Garantido Terra, a Grande Maloca	★ Caprichoso Amazônia Solo Sagrado
42nd	2007	★ Caprichoso O Eldorado é Aqui	❤︎ Garantido Guardiões da Amazônia
43rd	2008	★ Caprichoso O Futuro é Agora	❤︎ Garantido O Boi da Preservação
44th	2009	❤︎ Garantido Emoção	★ Caprichoso Amazonas, Onde o Verde Encontra o Azul
45th	2010	★ Caprichoso O Canto da Floresta	❤︎ Garantido Paixão
46th	2011	❤︎ Garantido Miscigenação	★ Caprichoso A Magia Que Encanta
47th	2012	★ Caprichoso Viva a Cultura Popular!	❤︎ Garantido Tradição
48th	2013	❤︎ Garantido O Boi do Centenário	★ Caprichoso O Centenário de uma Paixão
49th	2014	❤︎ Garantido Fé	★ Caprichoso Amazônia Táwapayêra
50th	2015	★ Caprichoso Amazônia	❤︎ Garantido Vida
51st	2016	❤︎ Garantido Celebração	★ Caprichoso Viva Parintins!
52nd	2017	★ Caprichoso A Poética do Imaginário Caboclo	❤︎ Garantido Magia e Fascínio no Coração da Amazônia
53rd	2018	★ Caprichoso Sabedoria Popular: Uma Revolução Ancestral	❤︎ Garantido Auto da Resistência Cultural
54th	2019	❤︎ Garantido Nós, o Povo!	★ Caprichoso Um Canto de Esperança para Mátria Brasilis
—	2020	No festival was held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[8]
—	2021
55th	2022	★ Caprichoso Amazônia: Nossa Luta em Poesia	❤︎ Garantido Amazônia do Povo Vermelho
56th	2023	★ Caprichoso O Brado do Povo Guerreiro	❤︎ Garantido Garantido por Toda Vida
57th	2024	★ Caprichoso Cultura: O Triunfo do Povo	❤︎ Garantido Segredos do Coração
58th	2025	❤︎ Garantido Boi do Povo, Boi do Povão	★ Caprichoso É Tempo de Retomada
59th	2026	★ Caprichoso Brinquedo que Canta Seu Chão	❤︎ Garantido Parintins: Portal do Encantamento

Statistics

Titles by association


	Titles	Runner-up finishes	Draws	Appearances in official title contests
Boi Garantido	30	28	1	57
Boi Caprichoso	29	28	1	57
Boi Campineiro	0	1	0	1

These figures count 1966 as the first official edition but not as a title contest. They include the joint championship in 2000.^[3]

Consecutive championships


Titles	Boi-bumbá	Years
5	Boi Garantido	1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984
4	Boi Caprichoso	1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979
4	Boi Garantido	1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002
3	Boi Garantido	2004, 2005 and 2006
	Boi Caprichoso	1994, 1995 and 1996
	Boi Caprichoso	2022, 2023 and 2024
2	Boi Garantido	1970 and 1971
		1988 and 1989
		2013 and 2014
	Boi Caprichoso	2007 and 2008
	Boi Caprichoso	2017 and 2018

Champions by decade


Decade	Champions by association
1960s	Boi Caprichoso (2); Boi Garantido (1)
1970s	Boi Caprichoso (6); Boi Garantido (4)
1980s	Boi Garantido (8); Boi Caprichoso (2)
1990s	Boi Caprichoso (6); Boi Garantido (4)
2000s	Boi Garantido (7); Boi Caprichoso (4)
2010s	Boi Garantido (5); Boi Caprichoso (5)
2020s	Boi Caprichoso (4); Boi Garantido (1)

Gallery of images

Presentation of Boi Garantido (Red) in Parintins Folklore Festival of 2016.
Presentation of Boi Caprichoso (Blue) in Parintins Folklore Festival of 2015.
The festival stands out in the Brazil, by following a similar model to Carnival, showing sometimes the handcraft indigenous culture of the Amazon or showing of the culture of other parts of country.
Indigenous handicraft that takes place during the festival.
Israel Paulain, presenter of the Boi Garantido since 2002
The marujada de guerra of the Boi Caprichoso, which is the group of players who provide the percussion accompaniment to the songs (toadas), is the basis for the show
Maria Azêdo was the cunhã poranga of the Boi Caprichoso from 2007 to 2018. Cunhã poranga, a term in the Nheengatu language that means "beautiful woman", represents the indigenous people.
Sinhazinha da fazenda of the Boi Garantido. The sinhazinha da fazenda represents the daughter of the farm owner in the traditional Bumba Meu Boi.
The porta-estandarte (standard-bearer) of the Boi Caprichoso
The pajé (shaman) of the Boi Caprichoso
Boi Garantido fans
Boi Caprichoso fans