Barretos City

Cities Nearby Sao Paulo

The Rodeo Festival in Barretos City is know in Brazil as the Festa do Peão de Boiadeiro. Held at the end of August it's the largest and best known rodeo in Brazil. Some of the rodeo's events include bull riding, horse barreling, calf roping, bareback riding, team roping, bulldogging, and more. It's a fun time for the whole family or a small group of friends.

The venue for the Rodeo is the Parque do Peao, meaning Cowboy Park. This park is used many times per year for different events, but the Rodeo is the most famous. In fact the buildings throughout the park are designed especially for the Rodeo. They have a rustic feel and do an incredible job at recreating the country mood. The food even fits with the cowboy theme - where the famous dish Queima do Alho, meaning Burning Garlic, is served. This dish is made with beans, rice, pork, sautéed vegetables, and peppers; it was the food cowboys were served to sustain their energy and keep up the hard work.

In addition to the Rodeo in Barretos City, there are many tours available. I went on a couple of these tours myself, the first was the City Historical Walk. This walk took us through the city and around to some of the smaller neighboring communities. Along the way they explain a bit about the city's history and its cowboy ways. The other tour I tried was the Herd Leading Interactive Tour - a horseback tour. Along with some real cowboys the tour group is taken through two pastures where we enjoyed the sites and tried our hand at herding cows. At the end of this tour everyone sits down together for a much deserved hearty Brazilian meal.

Getting There

The city of Barretos is located in the northern part of São Paulo state and has a population of about 100,000. To reach Barretos from São Paulo city you must take the Rodovia dos Bandeirantes (Bandeirantes Highway) towards Campinas. After Campinas you take the Anhanguara highway towards the interior, where you soon reach the toll booth at Limeira. Past the tool booth keep an eye out for the Washington Luiz Highway exit which will take you through Rio Claro, São Carlos, Araraquara, and Matao.

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