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What it is
Between July and September, when the Brejo Paraibano cools down, ten towns in the region take turns hosting a week of cultural programming: music, performing arts, exhibitions, craft markets, walking trails, mill visits and regional cooking. This is the Caminhos do Frio cultural route, which reached its twentieth edition in 2026.
The logic is simple, and it is what sets it apart from an ordinary festival: instead of gathering everything in one place, the route moves. Each town has its week, and those who follow it travel along.
The ten towns
- Areia
- Pilões
- Matinhas
- Solânea
- Serraria
- Borborema
- Remígio
- Bananeiras
- Alagoa Grande
- Alagoa Nova
A abertura é tradicionalmente em Areia, na primeira semana de julho. Em 2026 foi de 1 a 5 de julho, seguida por Pilões de 8 a 12, Matinhas de 15 a 19 e Solânea de 22 a 26. As demais entram ao longo de agosto e setembro.
The exact calendar comes out each year, around June. If your trip depends on one particular town, confirm the dates before booking flights.
Why July to September
Because that is when it genuinely gets cold up there. Areia sits at 618 metres and Bananeiras at 552 — in winter the average hovers around 16 degrees, against lows of 22 on João Pessoa's seafront.
For anyone staying at the beach, the difference hits the moment you step out of the car. It is the only part of Paraíba where a coat stops being excessive.
Nem toda cidade da rota é alta, vale dizer. Alagoa Grande, for instance, sits at 143 metres: it takes part for the programme, not for the weather.
How to fit it in from the beach
The brejo towns are between 110 and 140 kilometres from João Pessoa, which means two to two and a half hours by car. It is a full-day trip, not a morning out.
It works like this: pick the town by the week it hosts the route, leave early, have lunch there and come back late afternoon. If you can stay a night, better still — you can see two neighbouring towns and the drive earns its keep.
In the route's week the town fills up and local accommodation sells out fast. Those who decide at the last minute tend to solve it by sleeping at the beach and driving up for the day — which is exactly what most of our guests do.
Is it worth it?
It is worth it if you like small towns, live music in a square and country food — and if you have the time. On a four- or five-day trip, spending one of them on five hours of driving takes away more than it adds.
On a trip of a week or more, it is the best thing away from the coast that Paraíba offers in winter.
