Virada Cultural is a 24-hour cultural festival that began in 2005 and occurs annually (usually during the month of May) in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Events at the Virada Cultural include various live music concerts, films, plays, art exhibits, and other cultural activities and performances.
Since 2007 an increasing number of cities throughout the state of São Paulo have hosted their own events under the name Virada Cultural Paulista. All of the activities in the state of São Paulo, including those in the capital, are sponsored by the state Secretary of Culture (Portuguese: Secretaria de Cultura) and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The Virada Cultural was inspired by the White Night festivals, like Paris’s Nuit Blanche, which are held in a number of cities throughout the world.
The first Virada Cultural Paulista was held on 19–20 May 2007 in ten cities across the state of São Paulo: Araraquara, Araçatuba, Ribeirão Preto, Sorocaba, São José dos Campos, São José do Rio Preto, Presidente Prudente, Santos, São Paulo, Campinas, and Bauru.
By 2014, the statewide event had grown to include events in 31 municipalities over the course of two weekends (24–25 May and 31 May–1 June 2014) with a combined total estimated attendance of 1.4 million people.