Amazon Theatre hosts theatre festival through 11 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 04:40 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Amazon Theatre (Teatro Amazonas) in Manaus is hosting performances from the 20th Festival of Theatre of the Amazon, which runs through 11 October 2026. The festival brings theatre, workshops and debates to several venues, with the closing ceremony and awards scheduled at the theatre on 11 October.
Festival of Theatre of the Amazon reaches the stage
The festival began on 27 September 2026 and continues across Manaus until 11 October. Its programme includes local and national productions, several performance strands, training workshops, debates and meetings for theatre professionals and audiences.
The building is one of the festival venues. On 5 October, the programme lists The Dream of Savana at 10am, History for the Sleeping Ox at 7pm and a tribute to Koia Refkalefsky at 8pm. On 7 October, Aaarrg! Pirates! is scheduled for 10am, followed by The Woman Who Forgot How to Dance at 7pm. The programme also includes Filha do Encontro das Aguas on 8 October and Erenilda: Gold-Toothed Mining Woman on 9 October. The published festival programme places each of these performances at the venue.
The closing day is 11 October 2026. Antigona Travesti is scheduled for 7pm, the closing ceremony for 8.10pm and the 20th-edition awards for 8.40pm. The festival organisers state that the programme is free to attend, giving visitors a public cultural event rather than a regular sightseeing activity.
Amazon Theatre links a 2026 festival to Manaus history
The theatre opened on 31 December 1896 during Manaus's rubber boom. Its setting beside Largo de Sao Sebastiao places the festival within the historic centre, where the building forms part of the city's cultural landscape.
In 2026, Amazon Theatre joined the Amazon Theatres serial site on the UNESCO World Heritage List with Theatro da Paz in Belem. The recognition identifies the two nineteenth-century theatres as evidence of architectural and urban change during the Amazon rubber economy. That history gives the festival's 2026 use of the stage a specific setting: contemporary theatre is being presented inside a building created for the city's earlier performing-arts culture. The UNESCO recognition notice records the 1896 opening and the site's World Heritage status.
What the festival adds to a visit in October
The festival does not use only one auditorium or one format. Its programme spreads between the theatre, Teatro da Instalacao, Teatro Gebes Medeiros, Largo de Sao Sebastiao and other cultural spaces in Manaus. At the main venue, the schedule moves between children's theatre, adult productions, tributes and the final awards.
For visitors interested in access, the programme includes performances on several days after 4 October, so the theatre remains part of the festival circuit during the current visit period. The most clearly defined late programme item is the 11 October closing, when a performance, ceremony and awards follow one another at the venue.
Visiting Amazon Theatre: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The festival runs from 27 September to 11 October 2026, with the closing performance, ceremony and awards at Amazon Theatre on 11 October.
- The festival programme is free to attend, and the venue hosts performances on several days between 5 and 11 October.
- The theatre stands at Largo de Sao Sebastiao in the historic centre of Manaus, alongside other festival locations in the city.
- Portuguese is the official language used locally, and Brazil's national currency is the Brazilian real.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Amazon Theatre on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Amazon Theatre
When does the Festival of Theatre of the Amazon take place at Amazon Theatre?
The 20th festival runs from 27 September to 11 October 2026, with performances and the closing programme at the venue.
What is Amazon Theatre?
It is a theatre in central Manaus that opened on 31 December 1896 and became part of the Amazon Theatres UNESCO World Heritage site in 2026.
Where is Amazon Theatre and how do you get there?
It is at Largo de Sao Sebastiao in the historic centre of Manaus, Brazil. The festival also uses other cultural spaces in the city.
