Skolbeats and Virada Cultural: Sao Paulo

New York may be known as the city that never sleeps, but this weekend, Sao Paulo will truly own that heavyweight title. I’m going to need to do some serious caffeination this weekend to keep up with it all. First there’s Skolbeats, an electronic music fest"” South America’s largest, actually"” that takes place over two days beginning Friday. Among the international artists slated to play the various tents are Afrika Bambaataa, Tony Touch, The Crystal Method, Mau Mau, Laurent Garnier and Miss Kittin. Then, on Saturday, for a solid 24 hours starting at 6 p.m., hundreds of cultural events will be staged at over 80 (!) locations citywide in a massive event called Virada Cultural. We’re talking about movies, dance, theater, music, literature, food, art and more. Even the metro will run through the night in order to accommodate partygoers. I’m looking forward to seeing Brazilian hip-hop heads the Racionais MCs, who will play the city center’s Praca de Se at 3 a.m., but more so, continuing to discover the richness of what makes Brazil (and Brazilians) so distinct.