The UK/Brazil Season of Culture 2025-26 launches tonight in Edinburgh, marking the start of a year-long celebration of cultural exchange and 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the UK.
The launch event in Edinburgh this evening will bring together Brazilian and UK artists, government officials, and cultural partners from around the world.
This milestone initiative, spearheaded by Instituto Guimarães Rosa (IGR) and the British Council, will expand with over 100 projects across the UK and Brazil featuring different art forms and cross-cultural collaborations. The projects will celebrate shared values and address global challenges through themes of climate emergency, joy, and diversity.
Brazil has a strong presence during the Edinburgh Festivals, with performances, screenings, theatre, magic, comedy, and music across the Edinburgh Fringe and the Edinburgh Film Festival.
The season’s Edinburgh programme includes ‘Amazons’, a theatre piece that begins in the UK and explores stories of Amazonian ancestors. Another includes ‘Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet’, which weaves between Shakespeare and Brazilian cuisine. The latter is part of São Paulo Showcase, supported by the Government of the State of São Paulo, with six shows at the Fringe.
Described as ‘Seductive, volatile, and fiercely political’, the critically acclaimed Tom at the Farm has already been a highlight during the Edinburgh Fringe. Set in Rural Brazil, the play is a mesmerising psychological thriller that explores themes of intolerance, control and desire.
Actor Armando Babaioff, who translated and reimagined the play, spoke about being part of the UK-Brazil Season.
“Culture is an important tool allowing audiences to experience soft diplomacy, and it seems right to me that, in the year we are commemorating 200 years of diplomatic links with the UK we can celebrate together in Edinburgh. As we are enjoying being part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the show "Tom na Fazenda", that privilege is as strong as the pride I feel of representing my country at the largest cultural event in the world. It’s a huge pleasure to be performing Tom at the Farm at the Pleasance/EICC in their International Programme. Long live the Brazilian theatre in Edinburgh.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Ceilidh has been captivating audiences each day at the Ross Bandstand with an international collaboration featuring Brazilian, Scottish and Canadian musicians. The show features the Brazilian Piper Band, performing everything from traditional Scottish tunes to Brazilian popular music with a signature samba finale.
Capt, James H Frew from Daily Ceilidh talks about being at the forefront of cultural exchange between the UK and Brazil for over 40 years: "I've called Brazil home for over 40 years, and it's a privilege to see the dream of the Brazilian Pipe Band come to life. Founded in 1999 by Pipe Major Jose Paulo Pereira as a social project for youth in Rio de Janeiro, the band has become a source of immense pride and have performed across South America. Now, as part of the 200-year celebration of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the UK, seeing them take the stage at the Ross Bandstand with The Daily Ceilidh has been truly special."
The Director of the Instituto Guimarães Rosa (IGR), Ambassador Marco Nakata, said about the season: "The Brazil-UK cultural year was carefully designed to portray the cultural closeness of our two peoples and, at the same time, to highlight the cultural particularities of Brazilian and British society in order to promote greater integration through knowledge of each other's culture."
Speaking about the Season, Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council added: "This Season presents a unique opportunity to deepen the UK's relations with Brazil and what a fantastic opportunity to launch the season here in Edinburgh, the epicentre of the UK’s cultural exchange. We hope the Season will allow people from both countries to strengthen existing bonds and to forge new creative partnerships in the arts, culture and education.”
The Season that runs until June 2026 will feature major works across the UK, showcasing connections between the two countries. A highlight for Scotland will be the Amazônia Mapping Festival that will bring together Scottish and Brazilian artists in partnership with Cryptic Glasgow to co-create immersive audiovisual works exploring climate narratives. The exchange will continue in 2026 with Brazilian artists undertaking residencies in Scotland, culminating in presentations at Sonica in Glasgow.
Antonio Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom concludes: "Brazil-UK Season of Culture 2025–26 marks the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United Kingdom, a celebration of our friendship and history through the lens of art. It is an opportunity for Brazilian and British audiences to have a glimpse of the beating creative heart of our countries."
A number of projects included in the UK-Brazil Season of Culture were selected through an open call launched by the British Council in 2024, with a key selection criterion being the formation of bilateral partnerships. Each project involves at least one Brazilian and one British institution, with several featuring prominent Scottish participation. These include artist residencies, workshops, and academic conferences hosted by leading institutions such as the British Museum, the British Film Institute, and the Museum of Science in the UK, as well as Museu do Amanhã, Museu das Amazônias, Pivô Arte e Pesquisa with the Bienal das Amazônias, among other distinguished cultural institutions.
The UK/Brazil Season of Culture will run from August 2025 to June 2026.
To find out more information about the UK/Brazil Season visit ukbrseason.uk or follow the hashtag #UKBrazilSeason on social media.
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