Carnaval de rua em Belo Horizonte: festa na contracorrente da espetacularização ou festa espetacularizada? Um estudo de caso sobre o bloco Pisa na Fulô entre os anos de 2014 e 2020

Abstract

The process of urban spectacularization suppresses the streets as a meeting space and makes us stop being active participants in the city. On the other hand, in the subversion of the spectacular logic, the last decade of the street carnival in Belo Horizonte seems to present practices that are in line with the concept of the right to the city, promoting new sociabilities, forms of mobilization and urban awareness. This work aims to reflect about citizen participation in public space through the analysis of the carnival festival and the process of urban spectacularization: is the festival acting against the spectacularization process or it was itself spectacularized? In order to achieve such a goal, an analysis tool has been developed and applied to the case of the Pisa na Fulô carnival block, in the time frame from 2014 to 2020. Through participant observation and analysis of interviews with the block participants, it has been pointed out that more autonomous action in relation to the public power leverages the sense of belonging and care in relation to Carlos Prates square, the block's original place, and to the city. However, when the block happens as a large standardized event, it involves less participation and less impact on social and urban relations.