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What it is
Vila Sítio São João is the other half of Campina Grande's São João. While Parque do Povo is the big stage and the crowds, the Vila recreates an old north-eastern farmstead over almost three hectares, showing how people lived, worked and celebrated in the Sertão.
It is São João's daytime outing: you get to see up close what forró songs only mention in verse — the flour-making, the cane crushing, the village shop, the farm chapel.
History and location
Sítio São João was conceived by set designer and playwright João Dantas and has more than 20 years of history. It began with an edition in São Paulo, was set up inside Parque do Povo itself and moved between several sites in Campina Grande until 2018, when it gained its own home and the name Vila Sítio São João.
Today it stands on Avenida Floriano Peixoto, in the Dinamérica district, near the O Meninão sports arena, on 2.8 hectares built in masonry with a colonial finish: small hamlets, bridges, ponds, a church for 100 people, a general store, sugar mills, a flour house, a cornfield, a mud house, a print shop, a village radio and the Cangaço Photographic Museum — all furnished with real period objects.
What there is inside
- Century-old cassava flour houses, making flour and other cassava products.
- Working sugar mills: freshly pressed cane juice, rapadura and cachaça.
- A mud house, a village shop, a chapel and an old print shop.
- Settings inspired by the cangaço bandits, and period tools and utensils.
- A crafts hall, a bandstand with fife bands, theatre with actors in the museums and a funfair.
- Stages with traditional forró and quadrilha dance shows at night.
Instagram-worthy spots
The Vila was designed to be photographed. The most popular spots are the bridge covered in bunting and strings of lights — the sign says it is the bridge to encourage weddings —, the colourful little house fronts such as the Budega de Seu Quinco, and the view over the pond with the village lit up at dusk.
At night, the funfair and the candyfloss and churros stalls complete the country-fair atmosphere.
When it opens and what it costs
The Vila opens during the June festival season, from June to mid-July, with the box office open from midday into the evening and the music programme concentrated at weekends and on 23 and 24 June. Entry is paid, with lower prices midweek and concessions. Dates and prices change every year: check the official programme before going.
In 2026 the Vila opened from 28 May to 12 July, under the theme Brasil no Ritmo do Forró, with shows on the main stage and the Palco Parafuso.
How to go from João Pessoa
Campina Grande is about two hours from the João Pessoa seafront on the BR-230. The combination that works: leave after lunch, spend the afternoon at the Vila and go on to Parque do Povo at night. Some agencies sell the trip with transport from João Pessoa, which takes care of the late-night return.
In June, rooms in Campina Grande become scarce and expensive, and many people enjoy the festival while sleeping on the coast. MAREVI manages serviced flats and apartments on the João Pessoa seafront with a full kitchen and our own team; book directly on WhatsApp and you skip the platforms' fee. In June, book early.
