Recognized since 2012 by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Frevo is a popular expression that emerged in the carnivals of Pernambuco, in the northeast of Brazil, blending references from African and European cultures for over a century. Originating from black and peripheral layers of the population, Frevo encompasses different territories and finds its permanent living space in the Paço do Frevo.

As a reference center for the safeguarding of intangible heritage (title granted in 2017 by IPHAN - National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage) and located in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, the Paço do Frevo is a multi-functional space, coloring 2,300m² of a listed secular building that comprises exhibitions, a documentation center, music and dance classrooms, a studio, rehearsal rooms, as well as other facilities on four floors. The historic site where it is located has a rich social ecosystem, involving the Recife neighborhood, its port zone, the Craft Center of Pernambuco, as well as the Porto Digital, which constitutes a complex of technology and innovation-related companies.

Founded in 2014, the Paço do Frevo offers training, exhibitions, debates, artistic presentations, and other activities for the dissemination and preservation of Frevo as an exponent of Brazilian popular culture. In its ten years of operation, under the management of the Institute of Development and Management, the Paço do Frevo has received over one million visitors, had more than 45,000 students graduated from its activities, and promoted over 800 artistic presentations. It has won important awards such as the Ayrton de Almeida Carvalho Preservation of Cultural Heritage Prize of Pernambuco (2016), the National Funarte Prize for Continued Programming for Popular Music (2015), and the Darcy Ribeiro Education Prize (2015).

Acting as a connecting and driving force for territories, knowledge, institutions, and communities, the Paço do Frevo has served as a true platform for partnerships, projects, and ideas, stimulating participation and engagement of audiences. Among the partnerships, notable are the training actions developed with the Federal University of Pernambuco, Catholic University of Pernambuco, Pernambuco Conservatory of Music, Joaquim Nabuco Foundation, Memorial Network, Permanent Forum of Accessible Museums, and other institutions - always with the aim of making education and culture elements of citizenship construction.

The cultural center has fixed presentations of Frevo and parades of associations in its schedule. The Paço is also integrated into the Google Arts & Culture platform, through which visitors can explore its facilities and exhibitions in a beautiful virtual tour.

Check out more on the Paço do Frevo website.