Iemanjá Festival Salvador 2027: February 2 and 2026 Schedule Times

The Iemanjá Festival Salvador 2027 takes place on Tuesday, February 2, in Rio Vermelho, right in the middle of pre-Carnival week. The official 2027 schedule has not yet been released (checked as of the date of this note). In the 2025 and 2026 editions, the main offering arrived at the beach at 5 a.m. and went out to sea at 4 p.m., and none of the sources consulted charges admission for the ceremony.

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When is the 2027 Iemanjá Festival?

It’s on Tuesday, February 2, 2027. The date is part of the 13-day party calendar announced by Mayor Bruno Reis (A Tarde, updated 10/27/2026; City Hall press release). In 2026, the festival was not a public holiday in Salvador: the city had already used up its limit of municipal holidays under Law 9,093/1995, according to A Tarde. No municipal 2027 calendar including the date was found in the sources consulted; treat it as a working day and confirm with your employer.

The festival has taken place in Rio Vermelho for over a century (the press points to 1923 or 1924 as its beginning) and has been a cultural heritage site of Salvador since 2020, registered by the Fundação Gregório de Mattos (Brasil de Fato, 02/02/2026). It is a religious celebration, not a concert.

What the festival day looks like: 2025 and 2026 times

The schedule repeated itself over two editions and serves as a baseline until the Z-1 Fishermen’s Colony releases the 2027 timeline. Comparing the two editions, the key times in 2025 and 2026 matched: 4:30 a.m., 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Bahia Notícias, 01/28/2025; A Tarde, 01/29/2026).

During the day, the Casa de Iemanjá and the Barracão are open from the eve: in 2025, lines started at 6 a.m. on Feb 1 and ran until 4 p.m. on Feb 2; in 2026, the Casa and Barracão were organized from 8 a.m. Sunday (Feb 1) to 4 p.m. Monday (Feb 2). The public leaves their offerings in the baskets or in the sea.

Does the festival fall during pre-Carnival week in 2027?

Yes, and that changes your lodging plans. In 2027, Salvador’s pre-Carnival runs from 01/29 to 02/03: Pipoco de Léo Santana on Friday (01/29), Furdunço and Fuzuê over the weekend, A Melhor Segunda-feira do Mundo on 02/01, the Iemanjá Festival on 02/02, Habeas Copos on 02/03 and the official Carnival opening on 02/04 (Correio, 02/17/2026). Pipoco was moved up precisely so it wouldn’t clash with Iemanjá.

Book early and check nightly rates and minimum-stay rules on each hotel’s page: those prices were not verified for 2027. To extend your stay into the party, see the Salvador Carnival guide.

Do you pay to get into the Iemanjá Festival? Watch out for scams

None of the sources consulted records any charge for the main ceremony on the beach. What is sold are private parties nearby, and that’s where the scam risk lies: always check the seller and the venue before paying.

In 2026, the Correio list (01/29/2026) ranged from the free Romaria dos Capoeiras at Largo da Mariquita at 4:30 a.m. to paid events with tiered pricing. 2026 prices, by tier; 2027 prices have not been announced:

How to get to and from Rio Vermelho

In 2026, the City Hall banned vehicles on streets such as Rua da Paciência, Largo de Santana and Rua Oswaldo Cruz from 10 p.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Monday, and prohibited parking on dozens of neighborhood streets from 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Tuesday (Bahia Notícias, 01/27/2026). In other words: in 2026 cars couldn’t get close, and ride-hailing apps dropped people far from the beach; the 2027 rules haven’t come out yet, but the pattern is likely to repeat.

The 2026 reinforcement included 12 regular buses and 6 extra vehicles on BRT line B2 (Rodoviária–Rio Vermelho), which ran exceptionally until 11:30 p.m., departing from Praça Mestre Bimba and Estação Rio Vermelho; taxis and motorcycle taxis had four stands, including Rua da Paciência and Largo da Mariquita (A Tarde, 01/28/2026). Park-and-ride at the Itaigara (R$ 14) and Shopping da Bahia (R$ 15) malls, with tickets paid in advance (A Tarde, 01/30/2026).

Getting back late at night: if the party runs into the night, in 2026 BRT line B2 ran until 11:30 p.m. and the streets only reopened at 11 p.m. Monday. Decide on your taxi stand or walkable hotel before heading out, and agree on a meeting point, because cell signal often drops in the crowd. If you’re flying in, you can book the Luck Receptivo airport-hotel transfer and avoid the scramble for a ride on the eve.

What to bring and how to behave at the festival

Wear light clothing, comfortable sneakers, a cap, sunscreen above SPF 50, and carry water and your documents in a money belt at the front of your body; avoid purses and backpacks. Blue and white are the symbolic colors, but they’re not a rule (A Tarde, 01/30/2026).

Crowds: Correio reports that the City Hall expected more than 1 million people in 2026, up to 40% of them tourists, and that the beach becomes hard to access, with elderly people unable to get near the offering area (01/31/2026). Arriving early is the realistic move. As for offerings, devotees interviewed by A Tarde prefer flowers and lavender, with no plastic and no glass in the sea (02/02/2026); that’s testimony, not an official rule. It’s a religious festival: respect those in ceremony.

Can you go with kids or with reduced mobility?

Yes, but with a plan and no guaranteed special facilities: as of 11/02/2026, none of the official sources consulted announced a reserved area, accessible restroom or lost-child station for the 2025 or 2026 Iemanjá Festival. Correio reported the expectation of more than 1 million people on the sand in 2026, and an Apebor official said that “older people can’t get close” to the offering area (Correio, 01/31/2026). The practical move is to go early in the morning and stay on the flatter part, away from the water.

Timing with kids: in the 2025 and 2026 editions, the offering left the warehouse at 4:30 a.m., arrived at Colônia Z-1 at 5 a.m. and headed out to sea after 4 p.m. (table above). Choosing the morning is Voyage’s editorial take, not official guidance; the reason is that the afternoon procession requires hours on your feet in the heat, and A Tarde warns that elderly people face extra risk from physical exertion and heat (A Tarde, 01/30/2026).

Safety and identification: in 2026, the Public Security Department reinforced policing with 786 military police officers and checkpoints at the main access points (Bahia Notícias, 01/30/2026), and the Fire Department plan included pre-hospital care (A Tarde, 01/30/2026). The sources consulted do not mention identification wristbands or a lost-child station at the festival. Without that, write the guardian’s name and phone number on the child’s clothing or arm and agree on a fixed meeting point.

Reduced mobility: in 2026, vehicles were banned on streets such as Rua da Paciência and Largo de Santana from 10 p.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Monday (Bahia Notícias, 01/27/2026); the transport reinforcement included BRT line B2 until 11:30 p.m. and taxis and motorcycle taxis at four stands, including Rua da Paciência and Largo da Mariquita (A Tarde, 01/28/2026). Those stands are the closest drop-off points the 2026 traffic plan provided; the 2027 plan hasn’t come out yet. The offerings are delivered on the sand, and Correio (01/31/2026) describes the outdoor area of the Casa de Iemanjá as small for the crowd that wants to go. With a wheelchair or stroller, Voyage’s editorial choice is to stay on the street, near the drop-off point.

Where to stay for the Iemanjá Festival

Rio Vermelho is the obvious choice, because you can walk there and escape the vehicle ban that happened in 2026: see hotels and inns in the neighborhood (Feb 1–3, 2027). To compare neighborhoods, the guide to where to stay in Salvador compares Barra, Rio Vermelho, Pelourinho and Itapuã; the Carnival lodging guide helps if you’re extending into the party.

If you have time before or after, the Roteiro do Axé, by Luck Receptivo, explores Afro-Bahian tradition.

Frequently asked questions

What is the date of the Iemanjá Festival in Salvador in 2027?

Tuesday, February 2, 2027, in Rio Vermelho, according to the calendar announced by the City Hall. The official schedule hasn’t come out yet (checked as of the date of this note).

What time does the Iemanjá Festival start in Rio Vermelho?

In 2025 and 2026, the main offering left the warehouse at 4:30 a.m. and arrived at Colônia Z-1 at 5 a.m., with fireworks; the procession to the sea began after 4 p.m. The 2027 times have not been released.

Is February 2 a public holiday in Salvador?

In 2026, it wasn’t: according to A Tarde, the city had already reached its limit of municipal holidays. For 2027, no municipal calendar including the date was found; treat it as a working day and confirm with your employer.

Do you have to pay to take part in the Iemanjá Festival?

In the sources consulted, the main ceremony on the beach is free. Private parties nearby sell tickets, priced from R$ 120 to R$ 500 in 2026.

Is the Iemanjá Festival good for kids?

It can be, with care: Correio reported the expectation of more than 1 million people in 2026 and the sources consulted don’t mention a kids’ area or a lost-child station. Go in the morning, write the guardian’s phone number on the child and agree on a meeting point.

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