29th Pinhão de Lages Festival

I always liked the cold. Wearing several coats and leaving the house with a temperature below 10ºC was never a problem for me. As I also love music, and especially going to concerts, I always wanted to go to the Festa do Pinhão. After all, it is an event that brings together several of the main national artists in the (almost) winter of Lages. Until that year I decided to buy the ticket to the party and face the adventure. The day chosen was Saturday (17/06), for having more attractions than I knew. Saturday arrived and the tour van parked near the Florianópolis bus station a few minutes before 17:30 pm. About ten people got into the vehicle, which would still make some quick stops to pick up more people in São José and Palhoça. In fact, when entering the transport of the Via Van Turismo the impression is quite positive: clean vehicle, leather seats and very comfortable upholstery. The only problem was the distance between the seats, which was small for someone with 1,87m and long legs - but that didn't influence the positive experience.

Credit: Alan Romanelli

After the instructions for the trip, the van passed over the bridge to start the 220 km journey to Parque Conta Dinheiro. Along the way, we stopped at Alfredo Wagner to go to the bathroom and recharge, with the driver making himself available to take other breaks along the way if someone requested. After nearly four and a half hours, the van arrived at the scene. The thermometer read 12ºC and every time I spoke I released a light white smoke from my mouth, typical of when it is very cold. I knew I would need to move at the party to enjoy the cold and the shows - which would be no problem. The entrance to the party was smooth, as I downloaded the company's application and the ticket was read on the cell phone screen. While Breno and Caio Cesar were already animating the revelers with songs that went from “Solteiro de Novo” (Wesley Safadão) to “Olha a Explosão” (MC Kevinho), I went to see the structure of the park, which is bigger than I imagined. When I sat down for dinner, I chose the pastel de entrevero - which has meat, pepperoni, heart, chicken and vinaigrette. The mix may seem strange to some, but I really enjoyed it. Later I ate a portion of paçoca de pinhão, even to honor the name of the party. I also tried the quentão, but I didn't like that the stall charged a higher price (R$ 15) than other places at the party.

Credit: Gabriela Amancio

Well fed, I went to the main stage to see the Victor & Leo show - my favorite attraction of the night. I got close to the track grid, where I could have a good view of the stage. As the show began, the duo merged one hit into the other for nearly half an hour, when they stopped for a quick chat with the audience. The strategy ended up being a full plate for fans who wanted to hear as many songs as possible. After the sequence “Vida Boa”, “Na Linha do Tempo” and “Butterflies”, all sung with great enthusiasm, Victor took to the stage. Leo called everyone back to play the last one, went after Victor in the dressing room, but came back alone to sing “Tudo Com Você” and close the show. Before starting Anitta's show, some presenters and sponsors interacted with the public and distributed gifts. In addition to distracting the audience during the assembly of the stage, it was a way of not letting the cold infect the revelers. When entering with “Não Para”, Anitta put a good part of the audience to dance - even causing some estrangement among older people. She sang the main hits of her career, left a part of the presentation to roll to the sound of MCs like G15 and ended, of course, with “Show das Poderosas”. The only awkward point was the excessive use of auto-tune, which made her voice a little robotic at times - maybe she had the flu and couldn't force her voice too much.

Credit: Gabriela Amancio

As soon as the show was over, I went for dessert. I ended up stopping at the churros stand, where the attendant was attentive and even with the queue, he took care of the order - in addition to charging R$ 5, a very fair price. I had some difficulty buying water, as few places accepted cards - which made my situation a little more complicated, as I don't like to carry a lot of money in my pocket. Luckily I got my bottle of water and went to follow Luan Santana's show on a hill close to the stage - which was in a good position even for those who wanted to see the performance sitting down or further away. I confess that, of the shows of the night, it was the one I had the least expectation. But I got a big surprise. With good stage presence and lots of animation, I soon realized that this was the most anticipated show for most of the festival's audience. To captivate the public he used great infrastructure, with fireworks and even a crane where he was more than 10 meters above the ground. But it also provided intimate moments, such as when he called a fan on stage for a dinner with the song “Cantada”. With the thermometer marking 9ºC, it was a show to dance with “E Essa Boca Aí?” and “Acordando o Prédio”, and to be hugged in “Day, Place and Time” and “Write Aí”.

Credit: Gabriela Amancio

Just before the show ended, I returned to the van at the agreed location. While we wait for the last passengers to arrive, I took advantage of the bus's wifi to upload the photos and Stories to Instagram. A few minutes later, we continued our journey. After enjoying a lot, it was time to rest, and I slept until the break in Alfredo Wagner. As many asked to stay on the bus, the driver (thankfully) agreed and I was able to sleep again until near the entrance to Florianópolis. A smooth and comfortable journey to get home well again. On the same day, I talked to a friend about the experience at the Festa do Pinhão. He, who had already gone in 2016, hates the cold - so much so that he always complains when winter arrives. However, he regretted not going to the party again. It was the confirmation I needed to recommend the Festa do Pinhão also to those who don't like the cold - after all, there's always that hot thing to warm up. Gabriel Lima gabrielduwe@gmail.com