Past Events

Dia de los Muertos Procession & Celebration

Friday, November 6, 2009
6:30 to 7:30 pm
Phinney Neighborhood Center
6532 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

An all-ages festival centering on the traditional Mexican celebration of life and death, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). More details will be posted here as the date approaches.

For more information, visit Dia de Los Muertos.

Trolloween & the Haunt Procession

Saturday, October 31, 2009
N. 36th St. (at the Troll statue, under the Aurora Ave bridge)
Seattle, WA

VamoLá returns to perform in Trolloween, Fremont's outdoor Halloween pageant, lit by flaming torches and featuring giant-sized puppets. We will also lead revelers through the streets of Fremont as part of the Haunt — Fremont's annual Halloween procession. More details will be posted here as the date approaches.

For more information, visit Fremont Arts Council.

First Thursday Art in the Park

Thursday, October 1, 2009
6:00 to 7:00 pm
Occidental Park
Occidental Ave S & S Main St
Downtown Seattle

Come see VamoLa perform for First Thursday Art in the Park in Occidental Square north of Qwest Field, south of Pioneer Square. (Weather permitting)

For more information, visit Seattle First Thursday.

BrasilFest 2009

Sunday, August 16, 2009
6:00 to 6:45 pm
Mural Amphitheater
Seattle Center
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA

A free, day-long festival celebrating the exuberant and vivid culture of Brazil! Offerings include music and dance performances covering the spectrum from samba through bossa nova and mpb, from a variety of groups including VamoLa, Samba Olywa, Os Malandros, and Eduardo Mendonca's Show Brazil! In addition, there will be Samba and Afro-Brazilian dance workshops from groups such as Bahia in Motion and Dandara/Sensação Brasileira, Capoeira demonstrations and workshops for all ages (Brazilian martial arts), children's activities (mask-making, painting), Brazilian instruments, arts and crafts, photo exhibits and films.

The festival runs from 12 noon to 8 pm. VamoLa will perform from 6-6:45 pm, as well as providing music for the Bahia in Motion workshop 2:30-3 pm. And of course, all musicians will join up for a massive SAMBA JAM at 7 pm!

For more information, visit BrasilFest 2009.

Private Party

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Tacoma Ethnic Fest

Saturday, July 25, 2009
6:00 to 6:45 pm
Wright Park
501 South I Street
Tacoma, WA

Since 1986 the festival has featured the many cultures and ethnic groups that make Pierce County a great place to live. At Ethnic Fest you can enjoy the performing arts, visual arts, crafts, dancing, information and foods representing cultures from around the globe. VamoLa will perform its dazzling stage show, encompassing the rhythms of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, and featuring dancers in full fantasia costumes!

For more information, visit Tacoma Ethnic Fest.

Chinatown Seafair Parade

Sunday, July 19, 2009
7:00 to 9:00 pm
S. Jackson and S. King Streets, between 6th and 10th Ave S.
Seattle, WA

Join VamoLa and a host of other performance groups representing cultures from around the world as we party through Seattle's International District! Our drummers will serve up an irresistibly danceable combination of Rio funk, maracatu, and afoxe, with dancers leading in fire sprite costumes. Come and join in the fun!

When: 7-9 pm, Sunday, July 19
Where: S. Jackson and S. King Streets, between 6th and 10th Ave S.

For more information, visit Chinatown Seafair Parade.

Pride Parade

Sunday, June 28, 2009
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
4th Ave. & Union St. (start) to 4th Ave. & Denny Way (end)
Downtown Seattle

VamoLa returns for the 8th year in a row to celebrate the Northwest's vibrant GBLT community in the Seattle Pride Parade! This year's celebration marks the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Our drummers will serve up an irresistibly danceable combination of Rio funk, maracatu, and afoxe, with dancers leading in full feathered costume. We love the lively Pride audience, which is a carnival in itself. Come and join in the fun!

For more information, visit Seattle Pride.

Fremont Solstice Parade

Saturday, June 20, 2009
12:00 noon
N. 36th & Leary Way (start) to Gasworks Park (end)
Fremont neighborhood, Seattle

This year, VamoLa joins forces with the Fremont Arts Council to lead the Solstice Parade with a magnificent float featuring the Phoenix - the vibrant firebird that ignites from its own creativity, then burns, then rises from the ashes! The 15-foot-high Phoenix puppet will soar above the drummers and dancers, rising and falling, while we move to the exuberant Brazilian rhythms of afoxe, maracatu, and Rio funk.

The parade starts at N. 36th and Leary Way, and then continues east on N. 36th and N. 34th, ending up at the beer garden and picnic area in Gasworks Park. Slather on some sunscreen and join us!

For more information, see the Solstice Parade website.

Summer Beat Festival - Bahia Street Fundraiser

Friday, May 29, 2009
6pm-???
Youngstown Cultural Center
4408 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, WA

The Summer Beat festival is dedicated to celebrating the connection between Africa and the Brazilian state of Bahia. This festival supports the Bahia Street charity.

This year’s lineup includes brazilian dance performances ranging from capoeira to samba, from several hot Brazilian groups including VamoLa and Tudo Beleza. Jeff Busch follows with more great Brazilian music followed lastly by DJ Derek Mazzone from KEXP’s WoPop world music show. Brazilian food will also be available for purchase.

For more information, visit Summer Beat Festival.

Northwest Folklife Festival

Sunday, May 24, 2009
6:45-7pm: Parade
8-8:30pm: Stage Show, Mural Amphitheater
Seattle Center

Join us for two events, both part of the larger "Brazilian Show", beginning with a joint samba parade with Samba Olywa at 6:45 and leading to a stage show at the Mural Amphitheater at 8pm. Dance with us as we perform a variety of Brazilian rhythms and dances ranging from maracatu and samba-reggae to samba.

For more information, visit Northwest Folklife Festival.

World Rhythm Festival

Two VamoLa Events!

Sunday, April 26, 2009
Samba Reggae Dance Workshop
1:30pm-2:30pm
Fisher Pavilion

Come and learn the exuberant dance moves of samba reggae, led by Pitta Santos, dancer, choreographer, and capoeira contra-mestre from Bahia, Brazil! Smokin' hot, live rhythms provided by the VamoLa drummers.

Sunday, April 26, 2009
VamoLa Performance
4:00pm–5:00pm
Center House Stage, Seattle Center

Dance with the drummers as they parade in with a funky maracatu rhythm, and keep dancing as the dancers join in onstage, with Brazilian rhythms including samba, samba reggae, and baile funk. We love the WRF audience!

For more information, visit World Rhythm Festival.

Honk! Fest West

Once again, VamoLa joins more than a dozen street bands from five states and Canada for this lively festival of marching bands! Honk! Fest West 2009 will take place over 3 days, April 10-12, at a variety venues in Ballard (Friday), Georgetown (Saturday) and elsewhere (Sunday). One donation (Honk! Fest suggests $20) will cover admission to all venues on a given night.

VamoLa will perform Friday night at Bop Street Records in Ballard, and Saturday night at Smartypants in Georgetown, and will be joined by other samba bands, including SambaJa of Eugene, Oregon. (Please note: Smartypants is a 21+ venue.)

For more information, visit Honk! Fest West.

Futurewise Benefit - Carnaval!

Saturday, March 14, 2009
6:00pm–9:00pm
Fisher Pavillion, Seattle Center

VamoLa will bring a rockin' samba show, with dancers in full fantasia costume, to the carnaval-themed benefit dinner and auction of Futurewise, a statewide public interest group that ensures responsible growth management, promoting healthy communities and cities while protecting farmland, forests, and shorelines through advocacy, public education, and legal services.

For more information, visit Futurewise. For information on the benefit event, visit the Carnaval Auction page.

Inauguration Day Street Samba

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
7:00–10:00pm
The vicinity of Broadway and Pine, Seattle

Join VamoLa as we drum up a Brazilian-street-style celebration of our new President's Inauguration!

Meet at 7:00pm at the chrome statue in front of Seattle Central Community College, on Broadway, just north of the NW corner of Broadway & Pine.

From there, we will make our way West on Pine for a few blocks and then come back East on Pike back to Broadway, stopping periodically for music and refreshments on the way.

Drummers are welcome to bring their drums and play along. And everyone is welcome to dance!

First Night New Year's Gala

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Downtown Tacoma, WA

6:00–6:45pm

7:00–7:45pm

Join us for an early-evening New Year's show followed by a parade as part of First Night, the innovative, arts-based, all-ages, alcohol-free alternative New Year's celebration adopted by many cities across the US. VamoLá will present a 45-minute stage show, and then play Brazilian rhythms for the all-comers-welcomed Grand Procession (New Year's parade) through downtown Tacoma. First Night activities include indoor and outdoor stage shows, outdoor art installations and demos, and performances and participatory activities geared to kids, including face painting, juggling and acrobatics, music, storytelling, and puppet shows.

For more information, visit First Night Tacoma.

Dia de los Muertos Procession & Celebration

Friday, November 7, 2008
Phinney Neighborhood Center
6532 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

An all-ages festival centering on the traditional Mexican celebration of life and death, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). At 7:00pm, VamoLa (in skeleton costumes) hosted a community celebration. At the Center, the celebration also involved live music, hot chocolate, a colorfully decorated community altar commemorating loved ones, and hands-on activities, including making sugar skulls.

For more information, visit Dia de Los Muertos.

Trolloween & the Haunt Procession

Friday, October 31, 2008
N. 36th St. (at the Troll statue, under the Aurora Ave bridge)
Seattle, WA

VamoLá returned to perform in the Trolloween, Fremont's outdoor Halloween pageant, lit by flaming torches and featuring giant-sized puppets. We provided samba-reggae rhythms for the capoeira scene in the pageant, and then kicked off the Haunt — Fremont's annual Halloween procession — with lively Brazilian rhythms, leading revelers through the streets of Fremont.

For more information, visit Fremont Arts Council.

Festival Latino

Saturday, August 2, 2008
Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St.,
Tacoma, WA

VamoLa parades and then performs Rio-style samba onstage as part of the celebration for the arrival of the tall ship, "Gloria" Colombiana.

For more information, visit Festival Latino.

Chinatown Seafair Parade

Sunday, July 20, 2008
International District, Seattle

Our last parade of summer, and one of Seattle's most culturally diverse and colorful parades! We'll be playing our most exuberant samba and wearing our brightest costumes, in good company with the Chinese dragons that will snake through the parade.

For more information, visit Chinatown Seafair Parade.

Pride Parade

Sunday, July 20, 2008
Union St. and 4th Ave., Seattle

VamoLa was honored to parade once again, with Pride! Fans came and cheered us on (and danced with us) in this exuberant affirmation of the LGBT community and friends. The parade started at Union St. and 4th Ave., continued along 4th Ave. to Denny Way — just outside Seattle Center, where the Pride Festival was in full swing until 9:00pm.

For more information, visit Seattle Pride Parade.

Summer Solstice Parade

Saturday, June 21, 2008
Fremont neighborhood, Seattle

Celebrating the sun with the 20th annual Fremont Solstice Parade, VamoLá paraded along with many other groups and individuals through Fremont (aka The Center of the Universe), in this irrepressible display of creativity, collaboration, and community.

For more information, visit Fremont Solstice Parade.