Festivals and traditions

Handcrafts and folklore
The handcrafts of Porto Velho and the surrounding region are influenced  predominantly by Indian styles, whether objects for domestic or decorative use. The most common raw materials are clay, bamboo, plant materials and rubber. The indigenous tradition is also found in the folklore, with the interpretation of Amazon legends such as the Boto, the mermaid Iara and the Mapinguari monster which terrifies the forest of the region. The migration from the Northeast of Brazil which occurred throughout the last century has left its mark on the local folklore with the dance of the ox (which is seen at the big festival known as the Arraial Flor de Maracujá), square dances and the staging of the pastoral plays.

Carnival
Porto Velho has an extremely diverse Carnival as a result of the fact that the city was built by many migrants from different Brazilian states. These include the traditional parades, axé music and samba schools. The Carnival music started to return to the former popular style in 2006 after a period of being dominated by street parades featuring music from Bahia. 
The most traditional of this style include the Quem Quer school which was founded 29 years ago and attracted over 80,000 people to the streets and avenues of Porto Velho and the Galo da Meia-Noite, whose name (Midnight Cockerel) highlights the influence of the Galo da Madrugada (Dawn Cockerel) from Penambuco state. Porto Velho also has parades by samba schools which are influenced by those from Rio de Janeiro.

Museums and Theaters
Porto Velho has two museums of great importance to the local culture. The Madeira-Mamoré railway museum, located in the railroad complex, is the main historical attraction of Rondônia and displays objects from the "Devil´s Road". The State Museum in the city center has a large collection of material on archeology, mineralogy and ethnology. The city theaters are the Municipal Theater in Avenida Joaquim Nabuco (Center) and the Uirassu Rodrigues Theater.

Main Events
The Senhor Morto procession on St Anthony´s Day and the Feast of St. Sebastian are the main religious events.
Others important events are:

•    Folklore Week;
•    Festivals held in June and July;
•    Indian Week;
•    Festival of Sound;
•    Festival of Handcrafts;
•    Festival of Ballet (cultural area);
•    The National Fishing Championship at the Teotônio waterfall is held every September in the piracema season.