São Paulo presents its 2026 calendar of Major Events at IMEX America

The City of São Paulo, through the Municipal Secretariat of Tourism, is taking part in IMEX AMERICA for the first time with its own stand at one of the world’s leading tourism trade shows. As the city set to host the highest number of matches during the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, São Paulo arrives at the event with the mission of showcasing itself as a tourism destination in Latin America to the European market, particularly the United Kingdom, widely recognised as the birthplace of modern football. The city will host a total of 10 matches at the Corinthians Arena and sees the tournament as an opportunity to promote its tourism attractions to football fans travelling to São Paulo for the competition.

“São Paulo is the business capital of Latin America, but in recent years the city has also stood out for its gastronomy, entertainment and culture,” says Municipal

Secretary of Tourism Gustavo Lopes. “Our focus now is to position the city as a tourism product for travel agencies, creating new travel opportunities around its events calendar,” he adds.

With a packed 2026 calendar of major events, São Paulo is strengthening its position as one of Latin America’s leading destinations for business, culture and entertainment. From global industry events to world-class festivals and experiences, the city offers compelling reasons to visit throughout the year.

Formula 1 is one of the highlights of São Paulo’s strategic events calendar. The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix attracted a record 303,627 spectators and generated an estimated R$ 2.3 billion in economic impact, with 75% of the audience comingo from outside the city, including 17% international visitors. In 2026, Interlagos will once again host the São Paulo Grand Prix from November 6th to 8th, strengthening the city’s position as a major destination for sports tourism and international events. International tourist arrivals on the rise

The city of São Paulo recorded a 4.4% increase in international tourist arrivals between January and August 2026, compared with the same period in 2025. The figures highlight the strength of São Paulo as an international destination and one of the world’s most attractive cities for hosting major events, which generate significant economic and tourism activity. In addition to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, São Paulo will also host two major entertainment events: Lollapalooza and The Town, the latter created by the same team behind Rock in Rio. The city will also host the Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, held at the Interlagos Circuit every November.

According to data from the Tourism and Events Observatory (OTE), international visitor numbers increased in seven of the eight months analysed. The strongest growth was recorded in March, when international arrivals rose by 11.5% compared with the same month in 2025, increasing from 249,539 to 278,348 visitors.

The growth in international tourism is part of São Paulo’s strong tourism performance in 2026. In the first half of the year, the city welcomed 25.4 million tourists, including both domestic and international visitors, a 13.3% increase compared with the 22.4 million recorded during the same period in 2025.

CITY OF SÃO PAULO - TOURISM SECRETARIAT GIOVANNA LONGO - Communications Advisor Mobile +55 11 98522-8283