Praça Benedito Calixto

Praça Benedito Calixto is a small square in the Pinheiros district best known for its Saturday antiques and crafts fair, when dozens of vendor stalls fill the square selling vintage furniture, records, jewelry and handmade crafts under the shade of the surrounding trees. Live chorinho and samba performances accompany the fair, and food stalls serve pastel, tapioca and other Brazilian street snacks to the crowds browsing the stands. The bars and restaurants ringing the square stay busy well into the evening on fair days, making it easy to turn a morning of browsing into a full afternoon and evening out. On days outside the Saturday fair, the square reverts to a quiet, low-key local park used mainly by residents of the surrounding Pinheiros streets. Most visitors spend two to three hours at the fair itself, though a simple visit to the square on a non-fair day takes considerably less time. The best time to come is Saturday between late morning and early afternoon, when the fair, live music and food stalls are all at their peak; arriving early also gives the best selection of antiques before popular items sell out.