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Brazil🇧🇷 | festivalsTudo é JazzFree jazz, Praça Tiradentes, August nights, gilded churches | things to do and best time to go

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Backpacking in Tudo é Jazz
👀 For curious travelersfestival ranked #16
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 19, 2026

The main stage on Praça Tiradentes, under the statue of Tiradentes, is where Tudo é Jazz is best known, with free open-air concerts that fill the cobbled square after dark. The festival runs in Ouro Preto, a colonial mining town southeast of Belo Horizonte in Brazil, usually over a long weekend in August. Expect jazz, instrumental Brazilian music and blues, with a student, local and visiting crowd. Skip the paid hotel packages. A pousada owner told me, “Arrive early, the square fills by dusk.” Spend your first day walking the hills, then claim a spot at the stage by dusk.

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✨ Why go?
Ranked #16 festival in BrazilWhat makes it a must-see festival

Tudo é Jazz gives you a reason to pitch up in Ouro Preto at a time when most backpackers skip the Minas Gerais highlands. The big draw is the free stage on Praça Tiradentes, so the music costs you nothing and you can stay for one set or six. The crowd is a mix of students from the town’s federal university, Brazilian jazz fans and a few foreign travelers, which makes striking up conversation easy. It also slots well onto a Minas Gerais loop with Belo Horizonte and Mariana, and the colonial churches and mines are all within walking distance of your hostel.

💡 HighlightsMust-see experiences and standout moments

  1. Main stage at Praça Tiradentes: the festival’s center, a free outdoor stage in the square below the Museu da Inconfidência. Concerts run into the night and locals bring their own drinks and snacks.
  2. Igreja de São Francisco de Assis: a baroque church designed largely by Aleijadinho, with a painted ceiling by Ataíde. Entry is around US$3 and it takes 30 minutes.
  3. Museu da Inconfidência: the former town hall and jail on the square, with exhibits on the 18th-century independence conspiracy. Entry is about US$3 and a visit takes an hour.
  4. Mina do Chico Rei: a former gold mine you can walk through with a guide, with low tunnels and old mining tools. Tickets run roughly US$5 to 8 and the tour lasts around 40 minutes.
  5. Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar: one of the most richly gilded churches in Brazil,
… read more 👉
  1. Main stage at Praça Tiradentes: the festival’s center, a free outdoor stage in the square below the Museu da Inconfidência. Concerts run into the night and locals bring their own drinks and snacks.
  2. Igreja de São Francisco de Assis: a baroque church designed largely by Aleijadinho, with a painted ceiling by Ataíde. Entry is around US$3 and it takes 30 minutes.
  3. Museu da Inconfidência: the former town hall and jail on the square, with exhibits on the 18th-century independence conspiracy. Entry is about US$3 and a visit takes an hour.
  4. Mina do Chico Rei: a former gold mine you can walk through with a guide, with low tunnels and old mining tools. Tickets run roughly US$5 to 8 and the tour lasts around 40 minutes.
  5. Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar: one of the most richly gilded churches in Brazil, with an ornate gold interior. Entry is about US$3 to 5 and takes 30 minutes.
Together the churches, museum and mine fit into one relaxed day, and the concerts take your evenings.
Spotted a mistake or missing something? Contact us.

Things to do near Tudo é Jazz

Inhotim - one of the largest open air museums in the World

Inhotim - one of the largest open air museums in the World

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3h Cooking Class in Belo Horizonte: 7 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks

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Instituto Inhotim

Instituto Inhotim

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Brazilian History & Food Tour - Private Multi Day Tour

Brazilian History & Food Tour - Private Multi Day Tour

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3hr Food Crawl in Belo Horizonte Markets and Local Flavors

3hr Food Crawl in Belo Horizonte Markets and Local Flavors

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Historical Cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana

Historical Cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana

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City Tour by Centro / South DE Belo Horizonte

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Historic Cities of Gold Black and Mariana

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Cave of Maquiné and city of Cordisburg

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Private Custom Walking Tour with a Local Guide in Belo Horizonte

Private Custom Walking Tour with a Local Guide in Belo Horizonte

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Ratings based on Tripadvisor reviews. When you book through this link, you support our work at no extra cost to you.

🌤️ When to go?When is the celebration of Tudo é Jazz?

Tudo é Jazz is held in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, usually over three or four days in August, with concerts in the historic center, notably Praça Tiradentes and nearby churches and squares.
  • Best day: Saturday, when the free outdoor stages are fullest and the streets hum until late.
  • Weather: Days run about 10 to 24°C (50 to 75°F), dry, with cold nights, so bring a jacket and good shoes for the steep cobblestones.
  • Booking: Reserve a bed two to three months ahead, since prices can rise 30 to 60 percent.
  • Roads: Arrive Thursday or Friday and leave Sunday before midday to avoid the jams on the BR-356 from Belo Horizonte.
Confirm the program a few weeks out, because the lineup and venues change from year to year.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: not recommended for travelingFEBFebruary: not recommended for travelingMARMarch: not recommended for travelingAPRApril: not recommended for travelingMAYMay: not recommended for travelingJUNJune: not recommended for travelingJULJuly: excellent for travelingAUGAugust: not recommended for travelingSEPSeptember: not recommended for travelingOCTOctober: not recommended for travelingNOVNovember: not recommended for travelingDECDecember: not recommended for traveling

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🛏️ Where to stay?Choosing the right base

The historic center around Praça Tiradentes puts you within a short walk of the main stages, and it is where most backpacker hostels and guesthouses cluster. Streets are lively and well lit during the festival, though the cobblestones are slippery after dark, so wear sturdy shoes. The Antônio Dias and Pilar neighborhoods, a 10 to 15 minute uphill walk, are quieter and cheaper, with family-run pousadas and more space to sleep. Students at the federal university live in the lower streets near Rua Direita and Bauxita, so you find shared houses, bars and an easy social scene for solo travelers. Mariana, … read more 👉
The historic center around Praça Tiradentes puts you within a short walk of the main stages, and it is where most backpacker hostels and guesthouses cluster. Streets are lively and well lit during the festival, though the cobblestones are slippery after dark, so wear sturdy shoes. The Antônio Dias and Pilar neighborhoods, a 10 to 15 minute uphill walk, are quieter and cheaper, with family-run pousadas and more space to sleep. Students at the federal university live in the lower streets near Rua Direita and Bauxita, so you find shared houses, bars and an easy social scene for solo travelers. Mariana, about 20 minutes away by bus, is a calmer fallback when Ouro Preto sells out, and the ride back is easy. Book early, as the town is small.
Best hostels in Brazil


Best quality hotels in Brazil

👛 Costs (as of 19 October 2026)How expensive it really is

A realistic budget for a day at Tudo é Jazz is about US$75 to 95 in high season, with accommodation taking the biggest share.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Festival ticketsUS$0 to 25Outdoor stages in the squares are free, while some indoor concerts charge a ticket.
AccommodationUS$25 to 45Hostel dorm beds cost more in festival weekends, and private rooms start around US$60.
Local transportUS$2 to 8The center is walkable, but town buses and rideshares help on steep hills.
Food & drinksUS$20 to 30By-the-kilo lunches, street snacks and a few caipirinhas.
Miscellaneous expensesUS$3 to 8Luggage storage, a warm layer, small tips.
Total Daily BudgetUS$75 (average)Roughly US$50 to 116 depending on tickets and room choice.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

🍲 FoodLocal Cuisine & Drinks

Eat comida mineira and you eat the real Ouro Preto. Look for feijão tropeiro (beans, bacon, cassava flour and egg), tutu de feijão and frango com quiabo, plus pão de queijo still warm from the oven. Around the squares, festival stalls sell grilled sausage, espetinhos and sweets like doce de leite and goiabada com queijo.

For drinks, local cachaça from Minas is the move, often in a caipirinha, alongside craft beer and strong café mineiro that gets you through chilly nights.

Many restaurants serve by the kilo, so you pay for what the scale reads, usually US$10 to 16 a plate. Bring some cash for small stalls, though cards are widely taken. Lines move slowly at peak hours, so eat before the evening headliners start.

FAQCommon questions from travelers

Tudo é Jazz takes place in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, usually over three or four days in August. Recent editions have opened on a Thursday or Friday and closed on Sunday. Confirm the exact dates a few weeks ahead, as the program is announced each year.
Attending Tudo é Jazz costs little if you stick to the free outdoor stages in Ouro Preto’s squares, and paid indoor concerts run about US$0 to 25. A hostel bed during the festival is roughly US$25 to 45 a night. Budget about US$75 to 95 a day in total, including food and local transport.
For Tudo é Jazz, most outdoor concerts in Ouro Preto’s central squares are free and need no ticket. Some indoor shows in theaters or churches sell limited seats, so buy those a few weeks ahead. The bigger need is a bed, which you should book two to three months before the festival.
⚠️ Things can change over time, so always validate details locally before you go.

Other Brazilian festivals near Tudo é Jazz

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We 💚 feedbackKey takeaways before you go

Four nights is right for Tudo é Jazz, which covers the whole festival plus a free day for the churches and mines. A weekend trip means missing the best sets, and a week is too long unless you add Mariana. Pack a rain jacket and comfortable shoes for the steep, slippery cobbles.

✈️ When did I visit Brazil?
Call it good timing or luck, but I was able to celebrate Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro in February 2022, after a round trip in the north and east coast.

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Brazil, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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