House of Giant PuppetsCasa dos Bonecos Gigantes

House of Giant Puppets brings together Olinda’s bonecos gigantes (giant puppets), towering papier-mâché figures that have led Carnival processions since the 1930s. Made to be carried and danced, their exaggerated bodies turn the city’s colonial streets into a moving stage where satire and homage meet—musicians, politicians, folk types, and local legends looming above the crowd. Up close, the figures highlight the patient handcraft behind the spectacle and a Pernambuco tradition that treats celebration as public art.