Caminhada Noturna ("Night Walk") is a weekly walking tour of the centre of São Paulo. It takes place every Thursday between 8 and 10 pm, starting and ending at the Municipal Theatre. It has taken place over 300 times[1] since September 2005.[3] It is attended by 50–100 people each week,[1] a mix of locals and tourists,[4] peaking at 300 attendees in 2012.[5] The walk is free to attend, and is supported by the local tourism organisation.[6]
| Caminhada Noturna | |
|---|---|
 Participants in February 2017 | |
| Status | Active[1] |
| Genre | History and architecture[2] |
| Frequency | Every Thursday, 8-10pm[1] |
| Years active | 18[3] |
| Inaugurated | September 2005[3] |
| Founder | Carlos Beutel[3] |
| Website | www |
It was founded by Carlos Beutel, who owns a vegetarian restaurant in the area. It was originally going to be a day walk, but it changed to a night walk following a suggestion by Carmen Gimenez and Nadir Khouri based on an existing night walk in Barcelona. It was associated with efforts to restore the centre of São Paulo, and a weekly community meeting to discuss problems in the local area of Rua Barão de Itapetininga.[3] The first tours started from Mário de Andrade Library, changing to the Theatre in 2006.[2]
Tour guides were arranged in 2006.[3] Each tour has a guest speaker (often an architect, artist or a local), who talks about the theme of the walk.[6] The walks cover the historical buildings and architecture in the centre of the city.[2]