SeasonMapWhat's on in Salvador, Brazil through the year
Salvador, Brazil has 5 curated events through the year — 4 festivals and 1 holiday. The ones to plan around: Lavagem do Bonfim (January) and Festa de Iemanja (February). December to February are its peak-crowd months.
Updated September 2026 · every event curated and sourced · dates for 2026 where they are announced, the usual window where they are not
Salvador events and crowds by month
January in Salvador
Salvador weather in January →Peak crowds — Lavagem do Bonfim, Reveillon and Santa Barbara
- Festival
Lavagem do Bonfim
15 JanMajor festivalCrowdedBaianas in white wash the church steps with scented water at the end of an eight-kilometre walk from Comercio, followed by about a million people and a great many sound trucks. Source ↗
Still on: Reveillon and Santa Barbara (3 Dec – 2 Jan (usually))
February in Salvador
Salvador weather in February →Peak crowds — Festa de Iemanja, Carnival
- Festival
Festa de Iemanja
2 FebMajor festivalCrowdedRio Vermelho spends 2 February taking flowers and mirrors out to sea for the goddess of the waters; the queue at the fishermen's house starts before dawn. The biggest candomble day of the year. Source ↗
- Festival
Carnival
12–18 FebCrowdedBook earlyThe largest street carnival anywhere: six days, trios eletricos on two circuits and no stadium involved. Barra and Campo Grande are impassable, and the rest of the city more or less stops. Source ↗
March in Salvador
Salvador weather in March →Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in March.
Still on: Carnival (12–18 Feb)
April in Salvador
Salvador weather in April →Quiet — one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in April.
May in Salvador
Salvador weather in May →Quiet — one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in May.
June in Salvador
Salvador weather in June →Busy — Sao Joao, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it
- Festival
Sao Joao
12–30 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBahia takes the June festivals as seriously as carnival, though the best of it is inland at Cachoeira and Amargosa; the city keeps forro, quadrilhas and corn in every form. It rains on all of it. Source ↗
July in Salvador
Salvador weather in July →Busy — July winter break in Brazil, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in July.
August in Salvador
Salvador weather in August →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in August.
September in Salvador
Salvador weather in September →Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather
Nothing new starts in September.
October in Salvador
Salvador weather in October →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in October.
November in Salvador
Salvador weather in November →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in November.
December in Salvador
Salvador weather in December →Peak crowds — Reveillon and Santa Barbara, Summer holidays in Brazil
- Holiday
Reveillon and Santa Barbara
3 Dec – 2 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook earlyDecember opens with Santa Barbara at the Mercado and closes with the free new year concerts on the Barra seafront. Beds along the coast go months ahead at their highest rates of the year. Source ↗