Ibirapuera Park

Ibirapuera Park is a major urban park in São Paulo opened in 1954 and planned with contributions from Roberto Burle Marx and buildings by Oscar Niemeyer. It is one of Brazil’s most important green public spaces and a centre for cultural institutions.

Conceived and opened for São Paulo’s 400th anniversary, the park combined landscape design and modernist architecture to create a multifunctional civic space. Over decades it has hosted major public events, art biennials and been the focus of restoration and conservation efforts to maintain both green space and cultural buildings.

Ibirapuera sits in the southern-central area of São Paulo, bordered by several central neighbourhoods and well served by public transit and road links to the city’s commercial districts.

• Opening and designers: Opened in 1954 as part of São Paulo's 400th anniversary works and designed by landscape architects and architects including Roberto Burle Marx and Oscar Niemeyer.
• Park use: Covers an extensive urban green area used for recreation, large public events and cultural programming, with lakes, bike paths and sports facilities.

What to See #

• Bienal Pavilion (Oca and Bienal area): The dome-shaped exhibition hall designed by Oscar Niemeyer, built for the São Paulo Biennial and often used for contemporary art shows and fairs.
• Auditório Ibirapuera: A modernist auditorium and cultural venue by Oscar Niemeyer used for concerts and public programmes, notable for its sculptural curved forms.
• Museums and cultural venues: The Museu de Arte Moderna and the Museu Afro Brasil among several museums housed on the park grounds, offering art collections and rotating exhibitions.