Ibirapuera Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ibirapuera Park
The Ibirapuera Park

Type	Urban park
Location	São Paulo Brazil
Area	1,584,000 square metres (0.612 sq mi)
Created	1954
Status	Open all year

Ibirapuera Park (which means Parque Ibirapuera in Portuguese) is a huge city park in São Paulo, Brazil. It's a fantastic place for fun activities like jogging, walking, and just relaxing. The park also has many museums and a music hall, making it a lively cultural spot. Many people compare its importance to São Paulo with that of Central Park in New York City or Ueno Park in Tokyo. Ibirapuera is one of the biggest city parks in all of Latin America!

Where is Ibirapuera Park?
The History of Ibirapuera Park
What Can You See at Ibirapuera Park?
Images for kids
See also

Where is Ibirapuera Park?

This amazing park is located in the subprefecture of Vila Mariana, a part of São Paulo. Long ago, the area where the park now stands was a floodplain, which means it was a low-lying area that often got flooded.

The History of Ibirapuera Park

The name Ibirapuera comes from the Tupi-Guarani language, and it means "rotted tree." This name comes from an old indigenous village that used to be in this area.

In 1906, the city of São Paulo took control of the land. Back then, it was very swampy. To help with this, many trees were planted in the 1920s.

Ibirapuera was the first big park created in São Paulo. It was designed to be like other famous city parks around the world, such as Central Park.

Ibirapuera Park

The park officially opened on August 21, 1954. This was a special day because it was São Paulo's 400th birthday! Famous architect Oscar Niemeyer designed many of the buildings you see in the park. The beautiful landscape was created by Otávio Agusto de Teixeira Mendes.

Ibirapuera Park covers a huge area of about 158 hectares (that's like 390 football fields!). The best part? It has been free to enter since it opened in 1954, and it's open almost all day, from 5 AM until midnight.

Today, Ibirapuera Park is very popular. It was even voted one of the top ten urban parks in the world by The Guardian newspaper! It's the most visited park in São Paulo, with over 130,000 visitors during busy times. It also hosts big events like São Paulo Fashion Week and many other shows.

What Can You See at Ibirapuera Park?

Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo

A statue in Ibirapuera Park

A view of Ibirapuera Park

The park has many interesting buildings, most of them designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. Here are some of the main ones:

The Grande Marquise ("The Great Marquee"): This is a large covered area where you can find the Modern Art Museum (MAM).
The Cicillo Matarazzo Pavilion: This building is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art, University of São Paulo. It's also used for big events and exhibitions, including the famous São Paulo Art Biennial and São Paulo Fashion Week.
The Manoel da Nóbrega Pavilion: This building used to be the city hall until 1992.
The Lucas Nogueira Garcez Pavilion, also known as the Oca: This building is shaped like a "hut" (which is what "Oca" means) because of its round design. It houses the Air Force Museum and the Folklore Museum.
The Palácio da Agricultura ("Agriculture Palace"): This building was originally meant for the city's agriculture department.
The Planetarium and Municipal Astrophysics School: The Planetarium building looks like a flying saucer! It was the first Planetarium in the Southern Hemisphere. Inside, a special machine shows you the sky above São Paulo, complete with stars, constellations, and the movements of planets. An astronomer is there to explain everything.
The Gymnasium: A large sports arena.
The Japanese Pavilion: A beautiful building with Japanese architecture.
The Monumento às Bandeiras: A large monument honoring the pioneers who explored Brazil.
The Ibirapuera Auditorium: A modern concert hall that was part of Oscar Niemeyer's original plan but was built much later.
The Obelisk of São Paulo: This tall monument is a symbol of the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932.
A statue of Pedro Álvares Cabral: This statue honors the Portuguese explorer who arrived in Brazil.