Escadaria Selarón hosted festival washing on 22 September
Published on 09/27/2026 at 11:24 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Escadaria Selarón in Rio de Janeiro featured in Festival Imortal Urbano on 22 September 2026, when the event opened with a washing of the staircase. The festival, held beside the landmark in Lapa, formed part of the Semana de Arte do Rio.
Festival Imortal Urbano opened beside Escadaria Selarón
Festival Imortal Urbano ran from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Casa Tao Brasil on Rua Joaquim Silva. The third edition brought together activities connected with spiritual and philosophical traditions, including yoga, meditation and kung fu.
The opening programme on 22 September included the washing of the staircase next to the venue. The organiser, Casa Tao, presented the festival as a programme combining practical and theoretical activities. Some sessions were free, while others required payment, so the event did not have a single admission arrangement.
Publicly listed activities included yoga and meditation classes with invited teachers and Kung Fu - Fundamentals of the Combative Body, led by Casa Tao founder Cláudio Mascarenhas. The programme also addressed Taoism, Hinduism and Hermeticism. Report on the 22 September opening
Casa Tao connected the festival with the tiled landmark
Casa Tao Brasil occupies a townhouse from the early twentieth century at number 77 Rua Joaquim Silva, directly beside the staircase. The building was restored before becoming a cultural and social centre, giving the festival a venue physically linked to the public artwork rather than merely located elsewhere in Rio de Janeiro.
That relationship gave the 22 September activity a specific setting: the festival began inside a restored cultural building while its opening washing took place on the neighbouring staircase. The venue has also hosted concerts and exhibitions, including a show marking guitarist Victor Biglione’s 50-year career. Festival details at Casa Tao Brasil
Rio’s Boulevard Selarón project reshapes the surrounding streets
Separate public works announced in July 2026 concern the area around the staircase. Rio de Janeiro began the Boulevard Selarón project and created the Lapa Art and Culture District, with work covering parts of Joaquim Silva, Teotônio Regadas and Visconde de Maranguape.
The municipal project includes wider pedestrian space on Joaquim Silva, changes to the service road on Teotônio Regadas and updated urban infrastructure. Its stated purpose is to improve circulation and accessibility around the monument, placing the September festival within a wider cultural and streetscape programme.
Visiting Escadaria Selarón: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Festival Imortal Urbano ran from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Casa Tao Brasil, Rua Joaquim Silva 77, with the opening washing at the adjacent staircase on 22 September.
- The reported event was a programme at the neighbouring venue and an opening activity at the staircase. It did not announce a closure of the landmark.
- The landmark is in Lapa, in central Rio de Janeiro, beside Casa Tao Brasil on Rua Joaquim Silva.
- The surrounding Boulevard Selarón works cover nearby streets, including Joaquim Silva, Teotônio Regadas and Visconde de Maranguape, so the local approach forms part of an active urban improvement area.
- The official language is Portuguese and the national currency is the Brazilian real.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Escadaria Selarón
When did Festival Imortal Urbano take place at Escadaria Selarón?
Festival Imortal Urbano ran from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Casa Tao Brasil. Its opening on 22 September included a washing of the neighbouring staircase.
Where is Escadaria Selarón and how do you get there?
It is in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, beside Casa Tao Brasil at Rua Joaquim Silva 77.
What is Escadaria Selarón?
It is a public tiled staircase in Rio de Janeiro, located beside a restored early twentieth-century cultural building that hosted the September 2026 festival.
