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MangangáThe boi of Benjamin Constant

The Festival

Understand the party that stops the border

What boi-bumbá is, how the judging works, how to reach Benjamin Constant and a glossary to understand every word of the arena.

Benjamin Constant Folk Festival

The biggest festival of the Upper Solimões

For more than thirty years, every July Benjamin Constant becomes the cultural capital of the Upper Solimões and welcomes thousands of visitors from the whole region.

The party crosses borders: people come from Islandia in Peru, from Leticia in Colombia, and locals who live far away come home to see the boi. Floats, legends and Amazonian figures fill the bumbódromo arena.

years of tradition
30+
visitors per night
5 mil+
countries in the stands
3

How it works

Three nights, one champion.

The jury scores each boi item by item, in three groups. The sum of the nightly scores decides who takes the title.

Getting there

Heading to the triple border

Benjamin Constant sits where the Javari meets the Solimões, next to Tabatinga, Leticia and Islandia. Pick your route.

Visitor guide
  1. 1.

    By plane to Tabatinga

    There are flights from Manaus to Tabatinga, the neighbouring town. From there to Benjamin Constant you cross the Solimões by boat or speedboat.

  2. 2.

    By boat up the Solimões

    Passenger boats and express speedboats travel upriver from Manaus. It is the longest trip and the most beautiful: days of hammock, river and forest.

  3. 3.

    Across the border

    Visitors from Leticia, in Colombia, come through Tabatinga. Those from Peru cross the Javari from Islandia, right across from town.

Glossary

The words of the arena

Alegoria
Giant scenic structure that moves in the arena and tells part of the theme.
Amo do boi
The farm owner in the boi play, who sings improvised verses.
Apuração
The public reading of the jury scores, which reveals the champion.
Arena
The central space of the bumbódromo where the boi performs.
Auto do boi
The traditional story of the death and resurrection of the ox, the basis of every show.
Bumbódromo
The festival stadium, with the arena in the middle and the crowd in the stands.
Contrário
The rival boi. At the festival its name is never said: it is always the contrário.
Curral
The boi headquarters, where rehearsals and community parties happen.
Cunhã-poranga
"Beautiful girl" in Nheengatu, the item that represents the Indigenous woman.
Galera
The organised crowd of the boi, which sings, dances and is also judged.
Levantador de toadas
The lead singer, who leads the toadas in the arena.
Marujada
The boi drum line. At Mangangá, the Marujada de Guerra.
Pajé
The Indigenous spiritual leader, a central figure of the legends in the arena.
Toada
The boi-bumbá song, written for each theme and sung by the crowd.
Tripa
The dancer inside the boi who brings its movements to life.
Vazante
The season when the river drops, after the flood.