Brazilian Day Festival

My family and I had a great time at this festival and parade. I wasn’t expecting much in terms of vendors and food options; I had come to parade with SambaFunk. It was a perfect day at Pacific Beach and we braved the heat to take part with our fellow samba dancers. The crowd was friendly and supportive. While the streets were lined with fans, my mom and daughter were able to watch me from the front row and even follow our contingent for some photos.
I also enjoyed the performances on stage. It was a good mix of singers and dancers.
I was disappointed that the tiny kids’ area was expensive. $ 5 per bouncer. We decided to pass.
I had booked a hotel within walking distance because parking is at a premium in this area. Try paying for parking in the CVS lot.

I been attending this festival for quite some time now and I love it. My husband is a photographer so he likes going mostly because he takes good shots from people and dancers. I like it because is a family free event, no alcohol is involved, and is a good way to spend a beautiful sunny Sunday. For a free event this festival brings a lot of good entertainment and good food quality.
I will suggest to the organizers to try to not make the same routine every year, it gets boring, maybe try throwing some new stuff here and there. Parking is a big hassle, but if you are patient you will find a spot. Overall I love this event and I try to attend every year, is a fun enjoyable event.

I met my husband at the Brazilian Day Festival 3 years ago so we go there every year and celebrate our anniversary :)

This review is for the 2014 festival, and let me tell you, I have not had so much fun in a long time. Yes, the aromas from many of the food vendors surround the event were wonderful, but in my opinion, the best part of the festival was all the entertainment in the form of music and dance.
I will admit, I spent the majority of my day watching the entertainment and dancing along with all the great dancers and lively music (
). The performers were all amazing and with their exotic rhythms perfectly timed to the beat, drew in the crowds either in the form of a trance or got their bodies moving (
). The best were not doubt the Samba dancer who brought loud cheers from the crowds (
). However, my favorite were the dancer from U Fancy Dance Studio from here in San Diego with their cross Brazilian samba and cowboy dance which was amazing (
)!
As I said early, there plenty of food vendors, and specifically many Brazilian vendors with their native and cross over cuisine (
). My favorite drink of the day was the Horchata with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar to make it a enjoyable yet refreshing drink (
). Thank you ladies from «de Aguas Frescas!» (
).
All in all a day filled with dancing, music, great eats and drinks, and beautiful people everywhere. I had a great time and I will no doubt be returning next year. Brazilian know how to have a good time…

Unfortunately, the other reviewers are right on target. This is a pretty sorry excuse for a Brazilian festival, and the organizers can do WAY better. We made it in time to check out the parade — three or four «floats» (rental trucks), a few samba groups, and a few miscellaneous acts (stilt walkers). We had to park WAY the hell up on Loring Street because the beach crowd and the Sunday football crowd already had all the parking within a mile of Garnet taken.
The good news is that there appears to be a lot more Brazilian food options available than in previous years. The bad news is that the lines for those Brazilian food options were super long. No line for the Japanese food truck or the nachos truck though. (GROSS)
The participants were having a great time, and it is a great idea. Needs WAY more BRAZILIAN vendors, acts, music, and more, and WAY LESS typical PB swap meet BS that the town council rolls out for these street events. (REALLY — I don’t need a chiropractor or life insurance, and I don’t need that crappy-​ass necklace that some hippy PB grandma made in her bathtub!)
Hope they can step it up in ’14.

Went here in 2010 and 2012.
Overall, it’s a fun way to spend several hours on a beautiful Sunday in PB aside from the typical weekend bar scene.
There are two large stages, one at each end that showcases Brazilian music. In the middle you can see people dancing to the beat.
There’s usually a parade that occurs during the afternoon where you can see the various forms of Brazilian culture in full force: samba dance, capoeira, the costumes that women wear at carnaval. If I was a straight male the women alone would be the reason I’d be down to go. Should you not like the sun, go relax at one of the nearby bars for prime seating.
There’s different vendors around Garnet, but a few of those vendors are actually associated with Brazil. A lot of them are there to sell non Brazilian food, wares or timeshare packages. I was most interested in actual Brazilian vendors — one that sold various confectionaries and guarana soda, the other one that promoted a Brazilian futbol channel and distributed thundersticks. BTW, there’s lots of free shit to be given here if you know where to look (ie free 5 hour energy samples).
BRAZILIAN food choices were very limited. As of this year, only 3 booths actually served Brazilian food: Rei do Gado, Brazil by the Bay and Latin Chef and for Brazil by the Bay and Latin Chef they are overpriced for the portions you get. For $ 15/​plate, this may be a good time to try Rei do Gado food as the price to dine in the restaurant is costly, but the line for Rei do Gado is twice as long as the others. Other food lines aren’t as long, but c’mon, why would you want to eat non-​Brazilian food at a BRAZIL CULTURE FESTIVAL?! I’ve also eaten at all 3 restaurants. Currently I am in love with Brazil by the Bay’s feijoada.
BOO on the idea that this would be a non-​alcoholic festival, I miss the caipirinhas! I understand the idea of making it family friendly, but the women in carnaval gear already tiptoe the line on «family friendly»! Just saying.