Those who are still deciding whether it is worth going to Curitiba this weekend need to consider an important update: the IV Festival of the Word continues until Sunday, August 9th, and Valter Hugo Mãe is confirmed for Saturday, the 8th, at 8pm, at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. The free tickets for the auditorium, however, are already sold out in Guia Curitiba. For those without entry, the City Hall announced a live broadcast on a big screen in the side lobby of the MON, with 300 seats for the external public.
This changes the best script a bit. If Valter Hugo Mãe is the priority, it's not worth trying to get through the entire Saturday schedule. There is a shorter sequence that keeps two activities at the same address and leaves the beginning of the evening free for the move to MON.
Lean itinerary for Saturday, August 8
- 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm — “What the poem sees”, at Memorial de Curitiba. Bruna Beber and Eucanaã Ferraz participate in the conversation, mediated by Guilherme Gontijo Flores. The meeting is free and takes place at Rua Dr. Claudino dos Santos, 79.
- 5pm to 6pm — tribute to Ignácio de Loyola Brandão, also at the Memorial. As the activity starts half an hour after the previous one and remains in the same location, it fits in without creating another shift in the middle of the afternoon.
- After 6pm — take a break and head to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. This is the most comfortable break for eating, going to the Civic Center and arriving at the 8pm meeting location. Anyone who intends to try for a seat in the external broadcast area should consider that there are only 300 seats announced by the City Hall; therefore, arriving before the start is a reasonable precaution, but does not guarantee a place.
- 8 pm to 9 pm — “Delicacy against brutality”, with Valter Hugo Mãe, at MON. The conversation addresses literature, language, affection, community and humanity from The century of imbecis and other books published in Brazil. The mediation announced is by José Castello. The address is Rua Marechal Hermes, 999. Anyone who has already purchased a ticket can access the program scheduled for the auditorium; Those who were unable to do so should follow the instructions for transmission in the side lobby.
The dock that doesn't work if Valter is the priority
At 6:30 pm, the Memorial hosts “Brazil in romance”, with Edney Silvestre and Martha Batalha. It's one of Saturday's strong attractions, but the Curitiba Guide says it lasts until 8:30 pm. Therefore, it completely overlaps with the start of Valter Hugo Mãe's table, scheduled for 8pm at another address. For an itinerary intended to end in MON, it is better to choose one of the two.
Those who arrive early can still add, without changing address, the conversation “Telling stories, reading the other”, with Ana Suy and mediation by Julie Frank, from 2pm to 3pm at Memorial. It works as an optional extension; is not necessary for the main script to make sense.
Be careful if you also plan to visit the MON exhibitions
The free fee announced by City Hall refers to the Festival of the Word program. Regular visits to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum's exhibitions follow the rules of the museum itself: on Saturdays, MON reports opening hours from 10am to 6pm, with access to the exhibition areas until 5:30pm. At the time of inquiry, tickets cost R$36 for full price and R$18 for half-price.
This means that arriving at MON only in the early evening for the literary table does not serve as a plan to see the exhibitions. Anyone who wants to combine museum and festival needs to rearrange their day and visit MON earlier.
Can you still decide on a tour?
Yes, but with a clear caveat: last-minute trips should not be planned with entry into the Valter Hugo Mãe auditorium, because Guia Curitiba registers the places as sold out. The officially announced alternative is live broadcasting in the side lobby, limited to the 300 seats informed by City Hall.
For those who prefer not to depend on this availability, the festival continues on Sunday, August 9th, with programming in different spaces in Curitiba. Before leaving, the best thing to check is to double-check the Festival da Palavra website and the Curitiba Guide, as times, capacity and access conditions are information that may change during the event.
