São Paulo's street carnival in 2026 provides a wide range of drinks, going beyond traditional beer to include canned cocktails, sodas, and waters, appealing to revelers of all tastes. Vendors report that the diversification boosts sales, even with sponsor limitations in official blocks.
Historically, São Paulo's street carnival was dominated by beer and water, with sodas being rare. Now, in 2026, the festivities offer more options than some mini-markets, including canned cocktails, still and sparkling waters, various sodas, and multiple beer brands, including non-alcoholic ones.
The diversification aims to include all participants, appealing even to those avoiding alcoholic drinks. Ambulant vendor Fabiano Manoel de Solsa, with over a decade of experience, states: "Having more options, people buy". Rita Silva, who joined the Ritaleena block in the west zone, praises the cocktails: "I really like the cocktails, but they're much more alcoholic than beer. You have to be careful because they hit harder". She adds a practical benefit: "It also makes you want to pee less. And since there are few bathrooms, that helps".
In official blocks sponsored by Ambev, there are over a dozen alcoholic drinks from the company, half of them beers, plus energy drinks, sodas, and waters. The trend of ready-to-drink industrialized cocktails has gained global strength in the last three years, growing in São Paulo, according to merchant Anderson Ferreira, known as Gordoboy.
Isael de Oliveira, who has worked the carnival for three years alongside his construction company, notes that competition among vendors does not affect profits: "People skip eating to drink". Some revelers even try to use meal vouchers for purchases.
The shift began about six years ago, before the Covid-19 pandemic. In non-official blocks, like Casa Comigo on Henrique Schaumann street, vendors can sell various brands, including the popular Xeque Mate – a drink with mate tea, rum, and guarana extract, which energizes for the block marathon. Vendors provide plastic cups and ice. At Ritaleena, Saturday's (7th) heavy rain reduced sales, and the Xeque Mate ban was a hurdle, according to Luzinete das Graças, with over 20 years at the event: "If we had Xeque Mate, we would have sold everything". She observes: "Skol Beats even sells better, but no one wants beer".
Marina Duque, 34, prefers sweet options like Skol Beats, avoiding bitterness.
