Fortaleza 2023 April

Fortaleza 2023 April: what’s cool, travel, beaches (Praia de Iracema, Beira-Mar, Praia do Futuro), nightlife, music, and parties.

Fortaleza 2007 July: Praia de Iracema

Fortaleza 2023 April Goals

This post has no goals.

Usually, I define goals according to a destination, but Fortaleza is different, as it is my permanent base nowadays.

In this post, I am trying to show you what is cool here.

It is important to note, I am not winning advantages to indicate any place here, it is just my opinion.

As I am writing this post in April, maybe the only one goal is to publish it before the city’s anniversary.

Fortaleza – What’s cool

First, let’s talk about the reasons I gave up my town city, São Paulo, compared to Fortaleza.

  • My worst problem in São Paulo was the time in traffic, 3 to 4 hours a day. In Fortaleza, I used to go to my job in just 15 minutes by car.
  • The second was the weather, I hate cold, rainy, and gray days. Fortaleza is sunny almost every day, temperature range between 25 and 32 Celsius degrees.
  • Pollution was the third one. Despite Fortaleza is now the 5th largest Brazilian city, we cannot compare it with São Paulo, which is the largest.

Besides that, Fortaleza is a hot tourist destination in Brazil, it has beaches, a healthy lifestyle, and an exciting nightlife.

Praia de Iracema - Fortaleza

There is something excellent in both cities: my friends.

In São Paulo, I had all my school life with several friends.

At a first time, it was not easy to make friends, as I was new in Fortaleza, but after 20 years, I can say I love my friends here.

Fortaleza Cons

Of course, the city has problems. There is violence, poverty and inequality here too.

In the last years, the city grew up enormously, bringing all the related problems, mainly the violence, in my opinion.

It is not so dangerous to be in a panic, but be careful, as in any other big city.

On the other hand, there are more opportunities compared to 30 years ago.

Fortaleza 2023 April – Travel

First, this is not a professional travel report.

I will try to show my city from my point of view, what is cool according to my opinion and my life experience here, since 1993.

Fortaleza is a great tourist destination.

Many Brazilians come here during the vacation months (January and July), and also on holidays.

Many Europeans come here for their vacation time (August).

It is sunny almost every day, but we also have our so-called winter (January to April is rainy, and April is the rainiest month). But it is always warm.

Beaches

Praia de Iracema

This is my neighborhood.

Praia de Iracema is a traditional nightlife neighborhood full of culture and history.

Fortaleza 2007 May: Praia de Iracema

This picture is from 2007 May, so 16 years ago. Praia de Iracema today, is more degraded, but still beautiful.

And there is a reurbanization project starting now, in 2023.

Beira-Mar (Meireles) and hosting

This is the Fortaleza seaside.

Its major part is located in Meireles neighborhood, but it also covers Praia de Iracema and Mucuripe.

Here we have what we call “barraca de praia”, which are like bars, or restaurants on the promenade.

You can see how it was in 2000 in my old page.

We have a great modernization of this are during the pandemics.

Here is a photo taken 2020 December.

Fortaleza December 2020 - Beira-Mar/Meireles

People came here to walk, run, bike, relax, go to the beach, eat and drink, date, etc.

Most hotels are located here, so it is a suitable option for hosting, close to many places by walking distance, or a short trip by bus or car.

Mucuripe

At this beach, we also have the fish market.

Fortaleza 2017 August - Mucuripe

This map shows a walking from Pirata Bar to Praia de Iracema to Illa Mare restaurant at Mucuripe beach.

Places to go

These are the places I can suggest, all of them listed on the map, they are in the Praia de Iracema, Meireles, and Mucuripe area.

All of them are working at the time of this post – 2022/23 (many places I use to go close during the pandemics).

Praia do Futuro

Praia do Futuro is a bit further from Praia de Iracema, Beira-Mar, and Mucuripe.

Fortaleza 2009 October - Praia do Futuro

We can walk among these places, but to Praia do Futuro, we got a catch a bus or go by car, it takes 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the traffic.

It is a big beach with many “barracas de praia”, side by side.

There are the ones more for tourists, and others more for locals.

I put the most famous on the map below.

IMPORTANT SECURITY HINT: I would recommend not walking all this way. Despite it being a tourist place, it is dangerous. If you choose to walk, go just a short ways, if it has many people in the streets in a daytime. If going, for instance, from Crocobeach to Chico do Caranguejo, it is more secure to take a cab or go driving (or through the sand, I feel more secure on the beach instead of promenade).

As I work during the week and the place is very crowded during the weekends, and I live close to Beira-Mar, it is not usual for me to go to Praia do Futuro, but if you are in the city for the first time, I recommend going.

If I have spare time, sometimes I choose to go to Guarderia during the weekdays.

Music

Forró is the typical rhythm (and dance) of all Northeast, and Ceará state has a strong scene regarding this issue.

Better than write, I choose to show a playlist about forró.

Parties

Like any other big city, Fortaleza also has an event calendar.

In this post, I am going to write about:

  • New Year Eve, in January;
  • Pré-Carnaval, no fixed date, usually the 3–4 weekends before Carnival;
  • City Anniversary, April 13th;
  • São João, in June;
  • Fortal, in July;

Due to pandemics, we didn’t have almost anything regarding public events in the last 2 years.

New Year Eve

The New Year Eve occurs on the December 31st night to January 1st.

This year, the city hall defined a 2-day party, starting December 30.

Fortaleza 2015 January

In 2 nights, people come to the beach and celebrate the party with a lot of music shows.

Pré-Carnaval

Carnival is maybe the most famous Brazilian popular party.

We have Carnival here, but traditionally, people from the city have the habit of travelling to the closest cities during this period, and the party is stronger in cities like Aracati (where Canoa Quebrada is located), Beberibe, and Paracuru.

For this reason, Fortaleza celebrates before the party, usually 3–4 weekends (this year it was from January 2nd until February 12th), we have many parties among several city neighborhoods:

  • Praça do Ferreira;
  • Mercado dos Pinhões (Praça Visconde de Pelotas);
  • Mocinha (Rua Padre Climério with Rua João Cordeiro);
  • Aterro/Aterrinho da Praia de Iracema;
  • Largo dos Tremembés;
  • Benfica (Praça João Gentil);
  • Barra do Ceará (Marco Zero);
  • Cidade 2000 (Rua das Goiabeiras nº 198 – Between Ruas Alameda das Chananas and Alameda das Cecílias);
  • Polo dos Queijos (Raimundo dos Queijos);
  • Parque Raquel de Queiroz (Children and Adult);
  • Passeio Público (Children);
  • Praça do Lago Jacarey (Children).

These are the most popular, there are smaller ones besides that, and every year, close to the period, the main places are informed.

Fortaleza 2023 April – City Anniversary

The city anniversary is on April 13th.

Usually, the city hall made a party with a musical show at Aterro da Praia de Iracema to celebrate the date.

São João

In June, we have the June celebration, for Saint John.

There are two traditional Brazilian cities where the celebrations take one entire month (Caruaru and Campina Grande).

We usually have a big celebration here in Fortaleza, the most common are some days with shows at Aterro da Praia de Iracema.

Fortal

In Brazil, we have the Carnival, and also the “Carnaval fora de época”, which we can translate as something like “out of season Carnival”.

These parties happen in some cities, each one having their own specific period, and they were also called micareta.

Each micareta has its own name. In Fortaleza, our Micareta is called Fortal, and usually happens close to the end of the July (3-4 day party).

There are Brazilians who follow these Micaretas’ calendar, travelling all over the country.

The Carnival style is the same, but different from the way it is in Rio and Fortaleza.

The party model is the Carnival as it happens in Salvador (“blocos” following a big truck with musicians – “trio elétrico”).

It is expensive, the sooner you buy the “abadá” (a fantasy to enter in “blocos”), the cheaper.

Besides the Fortal exactly, which happens at Cidade Fortal, close to Praia do Futuro, from Thursday to Sunday, I also recommend Feijoada do Siriguella, at Marina Park, on Saturday afternoon, before the party at night.

Marina Park is close to Praia de Iracema. Close here for both places means by car, not by walking.

Close beaches

These beaches you have to take one or more days to visit, even maybe a separate trip.

Several tourist agencies make these trips daily.

On the West side, we can go from Fortaleza to Cumbuco, Paracuru, Lagoinha, Mundaú, among others, and a lot further, we have Jericoacoara.

On the East side, departing from Fortaleza, we can go to Porto das Dunas (Beach Park), Águas Belas, Morro Branco, Pontal do Maceió, and Canoa Quebrada, among others.

I know much of them, not all, but currently, I just have a post from Canoa Quebrada in this blog.

Fortaleza 2023 April – Conclusion

I tried to give a good overview of my opinion about the city.

I don’t like to say some place is better or worst, I’d rather to say I like more this or that one (this is an opinion, a feeling, and can be different from others).

In my case, I choose to build a life here, and I am delighted with this.

It is very unfair when we compare today’s Fortaleza with the old Fortaleza (from 30 years ago), but when comparing today with other places I know, I am still pleased to live here.

Fortaleza 2023 April – References

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