Can Can Carnaval

In 2025, France and Brazil commemorate 200 years of friendship—a bicentennial celebration of cultural dialogue that has shaped both nations in profound ways. From art and architecture to music and identity, they share bits of history that are woven into the very fabric of their societies. At the heart of this historic milestone, Ulalaô emerges as a living, breathing tribute to the enduring bond between these two cultures.

More than just a carnival bloco, Ulalaô is a cultural bridge, where French melodies meet Brazilian rhythms, and where the echoes of history resound in every note. The very name embodies this fusion—blending the French exclamation “Ouh là là” with “Alalaô,” a beloved Brazilian carnival anthem. The music follows suit, transforming valse musette into batucada, reimagining Voyage Voyage as funk carioca, and revealing the surprising melodic kinship between Georges Brassens and Dorival Caymmi. This is not just a musical experiment; it is the result of 20 years of research into the artistic dialogue that has linked France and Brazil for centuries—from Heitor Villa-Lobos composing in 1920s Paris to the echoes of Serge Gainsbourg in the rhythms of Rio.

Founded in August 2023 and fully realized by February 2024, Ulalaô embodies the spirit of cultural exchange. Its members—half French and/or mixed European, half Brazilian—perform side by side, constantly welcoming visiting musicians from both nations. Their debut parade in Urca, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain, brought together over 2,000 revelers. In 2024, they shared the stage with Toulouse’s Fülü; in 2025, they welcomed French, Brazilian and other European musicians from far and wide for their grand carnival parade on March 3rd at Quadrado da Urca.

This project is more than a musical endeavor—it is a historical continuum. The France-Brazil Cross-Cultural Year in 2025 celebrates two centuries of artistic and intellectual collaboration, a legacy that began in 1816 when the French Artistic Mission arrived in Rio aboard a French ship. That moment helped shape Brazil’s artistic and academic institutions, laying the groundwork for a relationship that has flourished across generations.

Today, Ulalaô stands as a testament to that legacy—not as a relic of the past, but as a vibrant, evolving celebration of two cultures in harmony. It is a carnival of connection, where the Eiffel Tower and Sugarloaf Mountain dance to the same beat, where history and music intertwine, and where 200 years of friendship are brought to life, one note at a time.