festivities begin every year with thecorrida dos santos reis, a 5.5k event that attracts runners from all over southeastern brazil and has awards in 26 different categories - the race is followed by a medley of street parties - mostly clustered around zumbi das palmares and nilo peçanha plazas - that include art exhibitions, live theater, a giant cake and fireworks.

angra's birthday party falls right in the middle of the festival do mar, a celebration of all things oceanic that lasts all summer, in a place where the oceanfront offers no shortage of things to celebrate - the lineup includes competitions in soccer, beach volleyball, canoeing, stand-up paddle and biathlon, a regatta, and a top-notch seafood culinary festival.

as in the rest of brazil, february, or sometimes march, in angra dos reis means carnaval, roughly lasting from friday until tuesday before ash wednesday, the carnaval celebration here manifests itself in the form of blocos (block parties), 37 of them, to be exact - as far as costumes go, the parties in angra tend to be a bit more traditional than those found in rio de janeiro capital.