Part of the City of Eugene’s Art in the Parks program, the festival will feature performances from West Coast drum groups playing Brazilian samba
Drum groups at the festival
VamoLá - Seattle
Portland Samba - Portland
Samba Ja - Eugene
Location: Eugene Riverfront Park
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VjVM7XeNEkNVs4Ni6
500 Ferry St, Eugene, OR 97401
Date: August 1, 2026
Time: 11AM - 5PM
Price: FREE
AXÉ (ah-SHEH) comes from the Yoruba language and is colloquially used in Brazilian culture to express good vibes, agreement, and wellbeing. It gives name to a genre of music from Bahia, Brazil.
Join us for a FREE Samba Festival at Eugene's Downtown River Front Park on Saturday, August 1st!
Part of the City of Eugene’s Art in the Parks program, the 2026 AXÉ Samba Festival will feature performances and interactive workshops from leading West Coast drum groups performing Brazilian samba-reggae and other styles. Performing groups including: VamoLá (Seattle), Portland Samba (Portland), and Samba Ja (Eugene).
In addition to lively Brazilian drum performances, the event will offer a free Brazilian dance performance from Barbara Lime, Eugene-based Brazilian dancer, choreographer, and artistic director.
Adriana Portela, founder of Didá Educational and Cultural Association and Banda Didá, a renowned all-female samba-reggae percussion and vocal group based in Bahia, Brazil will be at the festival demonstrating and leading percussion arrangements.
AXÉ Samba Festival will include food and drink vendors and representation from community partners including Travel Lane County, the City of Eugene Cultural Services, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, and SHIFT Community Cycles.
2024 Axé Percussion Festival
AT THE FESTIVAL
*06/11 - Unfortunately Samba da Alegria cannot attend now but we are working to fill the space with more fun performers
Portland Samba is a professional performance ensemble. Our shows feature energizing rhythm, costumed dancers, and dynamic visuals. The mission of Portland Samba is to cultivate community, excellent musicianship, and deepening understanding of Brazilian music and culture.
Vamo La means “Let's Go!” in Portuguese, and we do just that — we get people going! Our Seattle-based Brazilian drum and dance ensemble brings the spirit of Carnaval to life through vibrant parades and performances. Our main focus is on Rio-style samba, but we perform a variety of other music and dance styles from all over Brazil.
We are excited to perform along with all of the groups and we appreciate the effort put into making a wonderful community event.
City of Eugene Cultural Services
Shift Community Cycles
Travel Lane County
Eugene Downtown Neighborhood Association
Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Van Dijk smoked Provisions
Chula Beans
Eugene Kettle Corn
Sammitch
Viva! Vegetarian Grill
Maestrina da Didá Banda Feminina
Choreographer Performer Film Artist
Eugene Capoeira
Getting to Riverfront Park
Bike: Preferred method in the summer! If biking is an option we highly recommend riding to the park. There will be additional bike racks setup at the festival in addition the the ones already at the park.
Bus: Visit https://www.ltd.org/riders-guide/routes-maps-schedules/ and plan to bus over to 5th Street Public Market then walk on over to park!
Drive: If you are able to make the 10 min walk you can park at Alton Baker Park for free and take the footbridge to the festival. It is a nice walk.
There is also plenty of parking around the park but most of it is paid parking. It is a few dollars to park for several hours. Green shows public parking and yellow shows festival site.
THANK YOU TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSORS!
Sponsored by City of Eugene Art in the Parks
Hopeful Not Optimistic Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
PenFed Credit Union
Delta Chiropractic
The Kiva
Thank you for all contributions!
Cafe Yumm
Hot Mama’s Wings
Offering a great free community event requires a lot of resources and we can use your help! Any support is appreciated and can include money, supplies, equipment or volunteering time.
Your sponsorship or contribution will help a lot
If you would like to contribute to help Samba Ja put together this exciting festival you can donate directly using the codes below or reach out to us to discuss ways you can contribute. We are a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 83-0702157).
PayPal
Or let us know how you would like to contribute to the festival or if you have any questions!
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