March 25th Street

Largest Outdoor Shopping Market

March 25th Street is one of the oldest streets in São Paulo and throughout the years has had many different names. The government finally settled on calling it March 25th street because of the historic importance of this date. March 25th, 1824 was the year the Emperor, Dom Pedro I, published the Brazilian Constitution.

Today March 25th Street is the location of Latin America's largest outdoor market. On March 25th Street you can find just about anything you may be looking for. There are over three thousand shops located in the 2,700 or so buildings in and around March 25th Street. These shops sell various products including electronics, shoes, clothing, jewelry, furniture, toys, sunglasses, CDs, DVDs, and much more!

On a typical day along March 25th Street there are some 40 thousand employees assisting 700 to 800 thousand customers. During special occasions, like Christmas or Mother's Day, this number increases drastically and has even reached over 1 million people in a single day. If you do decide to visit March 25th Street I would recommend only going on the weekdays. On Saturday March 25th Street is so busy it's almost impossible to walk along the street because people from all over São Paulo choose to shop there.

For those not familiar with the market it can be an overwhelming experience, it's a crazy sea full of people. The reason the market is so popular is because the items sold here are incredibly cheap, for example it's quite easy to find earrings, bracelets, and necklaces for $2 reals (about 50 cents US). The market also sells the famous Brazilian soccer jerseys for $25 reals (about $8 US). For those who don't mind fake name brand products there are many "Louis Vuitton" purses, "Oakley" sunglasses, "Rolex" watches, "Tommy Hilfiger" clothing, "Nike" clothing, "Adidas" clothing, and much much more for incredibly low prices. Whether or not they are very good quality, well that's another matter. Many other items you can purchase include the famous Brazilian bikinis, Brazilian jeans, Brazilian song lyrics, hippie clothes, soccer gear, tools, fishing equipment, decorations for weddings and parties, Christmas ornaments, wedding dresses, carnival costumes, body piercings, automobile products, camping equipment, shoes, sports gear, the list is endless.

For cheap Brazilian clothes head towards Jose Paulino Street. This street is only seven minutes walking distance from March 25th Street. The only drawback to purchasing clothing along the street is that you are unable to try the clothes on before you buy them and they cannot be returned. However, the prices more than make up for this minor inconvenience.

March 25th Street not only has great shopping but it also offers a vast array of restaurants. There are Japanese, Arabic, and yes, traditional Brazilian restaurants. For faster meals there are food courts available in many of the malls along March 25th Street, or if it's just a refreshing drink you're after a big glass of freshly squeezed OJ is sold for $2 reals (about 50 cents US).

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