A near-tragedy unfolded on Sunday (8) on Rua da Consolação in São Paulo during pre-Carnaval megablock events, averting a trampling only because revelers toppled steel barriers. Columnist Thiago Amparo holds Mayor Ricardo Nunes and Ambev accountable for inept planning. The incident underscores risks foreseen by local councils and even the vice-mayor.
On Sunday (February 8, 2026), a push-and-shove scenario amid two megablocos on Rua da Consolação in central São Paulo nearly turned tragic. According to Folha de S.Paulo columnist Thiago Amparo, what prevented a trampling incident was the revelers' defiance in knocking down steel barriers erected to segregate public space.
Amparo contends that the episode was not an inevitable outcome of overcrowding but the predictable result of flawed planning by the São Paulo City Hall and sponsor Ambev. The local community security council had warned of the dangers of hosting two megablocos in the same area. Even Vice-Mayor Mello Araújo (PL) alerted Mayor Ricardo Nunes to these risks. Additionally, Ambev is faulted for disregarding the history of one of the city's most traditional blocks and its established route.
The event extends beyond Carnaval, revealing, per Amparo, the cracks in a privatized city model under Nunes' administration. Examples include the proposal to relax the noise ordinance, the over-100-day closure of Vale do Anhangabaú with barriers since its concession, and price hikes in parks handed to private management.
Amparo references Gregorio Duvivier's play 'O Céu da Língua', portraying street Carnaval as a 'social technology of revelry.' He emphasizes Duvivier's line: 'No one can hold back Brazil on the day our institutions match the level of our Carnaval.' For the columnist, Carnaval is not for sale; it is created by those who break out of the 'fenced enclosure'.
