Join the BAJA Carnival!

After several weeks of preparation and meetings between January and March 2026, a participatory carnival is coming to life in Sector 5. On the initiative of the National Choreographic Center of Grenoble, the Maison de l’enfance Bajatière, the Grand Collectif, and the La BAJA association, artists Calixto Neto, Shereya, and Maria Luma invited residents of the Abbaye-Jouhaux, Châtelet, Teisseire-Malherbe, and Bajatière neighborhoods to take part in a collective artistic adventure. 

Through workshops open to everyone, participants, guided by the artists, worked together to shape this carnival: group movements and dances, costumes and props made from recycled materials, rhythms and movements inspired by Brazilian culture. In a friendly and inclusive atmosphere, everyone was invited to learn, experiment, and create with whatever was available.
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United under the name GROUPE PARANGO-LÉLÉ, the workshop participants open the parade with a festive and colorful dance, inspired by gambiarra —that joyful art of inventing with almost nothing. A celebration of imagination, spontaneity, and the power of the collective.

Accompanying the parade, a temporary musical ensemble comes together in the style of Brazilian carnival blocos. With brass and percussion, the audience will hear rhythms from the Northeast, such as frevo, maracatu, andarrastapé, as well as carnival marchinhas from the Southeast. Local musicians will also be on hand to lend their talent and join this collective adventure. 

Through dance and music, the BAJA carnival celebrates shared creativity and transforms public spaces into a festive occasion open to everyone.