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The city council announced, on Monday (3/11), the names of the great honorees of 2026: the singer Lenine, the chef Carmem Virgínia and the Bloco Carnavalesco Misto Madeira do Rosarinho, which turns 100 years old in 2026.
Mayor João Campos explained the decision: “There are many artists who directly refer to the Recife Carnival but who, contrary to popular perception, have not yet been officially honored, such as Elba Ramalho last year, and Lenine this year, for example. Figures who are already an integral part of our city’s culture and who we feel is our institutional duty, as municipal management, to pay this tribute”, he declared. It is worth remembering that Elba Ramalho was honored at the 2025 Recife festival.
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According to Milu Megale, Secretary of Culture of Recife, the choice of names brings representation. “The choice of honorees always meets criteria of representativeness and deference to highlight the people and entities that promote the party, which belongs to everyone and is made by the reveler and for the reveler”, he said.
Find out more about the 2026 Carnival honorees:
Lenin
Singer and composer Oswaldo Lenine Macedo Pimentel, popularly known as Lenine, is a mandatory figure at Recife Carnival. Born in Recife and raised in the Boa Vista neighborhood, he embraces the crowd and parades his repertoire of hits who praise the culture of his native land, always remembered in his career of more than three decades.
“I feel honored every year. Every year I bring people who have never known the Recife Carnival, artists and musicians with the aim of getting to know the city when it is breathing the hill and experiencing it. I have been doing this for many years and, for me, it is always a tribute, because I come with family, grandchildren, children, with everything. I always prepare a special show, not only at Marco Zero, but also at other very interesting centers. I feel truly honored whenever I am here at the Carnival, and this year will be a consecration, as it is another moment in my life”, said the singer.
Rosarinho Wood
The legendary Madeira do Rosarinho turns 100 years old in 2026. This is one of the most traditional carnival blocks in Recife and was founded on September 7, 1926, as a split from the old Inocentes do Rosarinho block.
“It’s a great merit. I can’t even believe it, it’s a joy and also a satisfaction for the community, for the people who frequent the club, who will be very happy to know that Madeira do Rosarinho is one of the honorees of this carnival”, said Duca, representative of the group.
Carmen Virginia
Carmen Virgínia is a chef and iabassé chef. She is a reference in the preservation of Afro-Brazilian knowledge in Recife and the person responsible for preparing sacred food in Candomblé terreiros.
“I think it’s also a victory for terreiro women, but it’s a victory for women. In a way, I came from housewives. I’m a cook, granddaughter of a cook. This is very important for that woman who can feed her children, who leaves home early, who fights. I am that woman, and they can also feel present in this honor. As a career, I’ve only been in the profession for 15 years, but my whole life I had an example, which was my grandmother, a server of this city. I was born on the streets of Santo Amaro and I am very happy, feeling privileged and excited, because it is very important for us to believe in God, in the orixás and in ourselves. This year, the Carnival honorees, just like the Carnival in Recife, will have an extra taste, pots and the smell of food, because that is what I bring.
