31st Curitiba Festival brings music, food and art to more than 200,000 people

Success is the word that sums up the 31st edition of the Festival de Curitiba which, from March 27th to April 9th, brought a lot of fun and art through an intense program for more than 200 thousand people, in Curitiba and region. And if making the city the stage for various artistic manifestations is already a challenge, imagine adding good food and music to this cultural basket? Because the combination exists and pleased those who can check out another initiative with the event’s brand, which enhances the calendar of attractions.

This is Gastronomix, a pioneering outdoor gastronomy event in Brazil, which promotes its programming since 2008 within the Festival. This year, more than 7,000 people gathered at the White Hall Jockey Eventos to enjoy special dishes in cozy spaces, and continued to impress the public with its cultural pillars: award-winning cuisine, music and sustainability.

In all, 10 restaurants were selected to participate in the two-day event (April 1st and 2nd). The criterion for the choice was the prominent role of each one in the panorama of contemporary Brazilian gastronomy. Under the curatorship of award-winning chef Celso Freire, the restaurants from Paraná Antonina 336, Nanica, Ragú Rotisserie, Chez Margot Bistrô, Gelataio Art and Emy by Kazuo took their prepared dishes to the edition, along with representatives from Paraíba, Casa Roccia, chef Onildo Rock; from Santa Catarina, O Guará, by chef Willian Vieira; and from São Paulo, A Casa do Porco, by chefs Jefferson Rueda and Janaína Torres Rueda, and Hi Pokee, by chef Ravi Leite.

As the curator explains, the intention was to provide a unique and complete experience to the population, full of cultural involvement. “It was an avalanche of positive points. People were homesick, the weather helped, it was beautiful. An experience to spend the day, taking advantage of all the extensive time they spend there. It is a gastronomy event accessible to everyone, with quality food, accessible chefs, with a very good and direct relationship with the public. I define Gastronomix as a true event of responsible gastronomy, fun and art”, says Freire.

Elected the seventh best restaurant in the world, according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, A Casa do Porco was one of the highlights of the 2023 edition. “It was very gratifying to participate, the citizens of Curitiba were very receptive. Many already knew the restaurant, knew about my work. We sell all the pancetta we take, so it’s really nice to be received like that. They took care of us in a very pleasant way, it was very good”, says Jefferson Rueda, chef at the head of Casa do Porco.

New for 2023

Gastronomix 2023 decided to innovate in its venue. Previously promoted at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), it established this year’s structure at the Jockey Club, close to downtown Curitiba. Gastronomix project manager Caroll Teixeira commented on the edition’s upgrades. “This year, the event showed its strength as a music and gastronomy project. Even coming back after 3 years of hiatus, it managed to keep the public loyal. And the music gained another shine and strength with a larger structure being the heart of the event. In gastronomy, we maintained the versatility of national gastronomy with the participation of great current highlights, from classic to contemporary”, she evaluates.

“We were very happy with the new space. Good possibilities for indoor and outdoor spaces, all pleasant, with parking, restrooms. It was a change that made us feel at ease because it comforted people”, adds curator Celso Freire.

The edition also brought an intense musical program to the public, ranging from jazz to instrumental Brazilian music, with more than 10 attractions. Comfort in the form of an art also passed through the structure: the Kids Space and the Pet Friendly environment were incentives for friends and entire families to enjoy the weekend. Through the Little Wall of Ideas, the children gained a program of activities, while the pets also had a structure set up.

For journalist and content creator Rodrigo de Lorenzi, who was at the event for the first time, the message was one of reunion and rapprochement. “The concept of uniting art and gastronomy in an outdoor event is something that delights me a lot because it basically brings the population closer to good food and renowned chefs. Many times we don’t have the opportunity to go to famous restaurants or we don’t get to try highly rated or different dishes, but when there is an event like this for the whole community, we manage not only to have a different gastronomic experience, but also to feel the city more alive and welcoming. The 2023 edition had an atmosphere of reunion”, he recalls.

A regular at previous editions, the owner of the café/restaurant Empório do Aroma, Paulo Motta, highlights the issue of valuing cuisine. “It was an opportunity to access gastronomy in its essence, connect with the inspiration of these professionals and receive food directly from the hands of those who conceive and execute that recipe. Having such a well-structured event within our reach that connects culture to food is a privilege for the city and reinforces the importance of Curitiba as a stage for the gastronomic diversity present in our country”.

Sustainability as a purpose

In addition to its connection with gastronomy and art, Gastronomix also has sustainability as a purpose. To this end, it has implemented initiatives to reduce impacts on the environment.

The waste was properly disposed of through a partnership with Preserva Ambiental, which collected the oil used in the kitchen. The dishes chosen were those made of porcelain tableware, in partnership with Oxford. A practice adopted since the first edition, the choice is sustainable even in the event of accidents: dishes broken during the event are cleaned and returned to the factory to become new products.

Composting was also implemented, carried out on behalf of the company Composta, which even includes paper napkins used in the procedure.

Big brands embraced the event

An event with gastronomic, cultural and economic weight for the city of Curitiba like this one could only count on partners at the height, who embraced these causes.

That’s why Gastronomix was presented by Tradener, Teatro Positivo 15 Anos, Electrolux, Banco CNH Industrial and New Holland. The event was also sponsored by Cogecom, Novozymes, Compagás, Ritmo Logística and Consórcio Servopa.

A show-class space, designed by the curators of the event in partnership – and in the space – with Electrolux, took the chefs of the “Sustainable Gastronomy – Like a Chef Program” project into Gastronomix. According to the marketing director for Electrolux Latin America, Ana Peretti, the brand’s purposes were in line with the event’s legacy. from the ‘Sustainable Gastronomy’ programme, which is promoted by the Electrolux Food Foundation, to our experimental kitchen in space. We hold classes and workshops for visitors, with the aim of promoting more sustainable eating habits. We took the opportunity to expand this sustainability dialogue, encouraging conscious consumption, on how it is possible to make better use of resources, be they food, clothing, energy, water, among others”, she highlights.

Another partner, Grupo Servopa, also joined the sustainable footprint to bring electric vehicles closer to event participants. “It was a happy, fun event full of activities for all audiences. Gastronomy encourages creativity and curiosity, as well as new horizons, as well as sustainability. And, therefore, we presented at the event our new represented brand, BYD, the largest producer of electric vehicles in the world”, reiterates the Marketing manager of Grupo Servopa, Carolina Pedroso.

With all its luggage, responsibility and message of approximation with national cuisine, with music, art, fun and sustainability, Gastronomix 2023 is already missed. Follow the event’s official network to learn more about the next edition, in 2024: