Themed and free programming at Circuito Liberdade celebrates Christmas throughout December.

Members of the Circuito Liberdade (Liberty Circuit) make the great end-of-year festivities a special moment to appreciate culture. Dozens of attractions themed around Christmas await the public, who can enjoy art and entertainment, largely free of charge. There are activities aimed at children and others geared towards young people and adults. It's an opportunity to discover Christmas stories and creations imbued with the spirit of the holiday. The program extends throughout the month of December and can be followed on the Circuito Liberdade website.

In addition to the programming in the venues, the Circuito Liberdade also hosts events for Natal da Mineiridade 2025 (Minas Gerais Christmas 2025), a celebration that encompasses the entire state, uniting faith, art, tradition, and hospitality, organized by the Government of Minas Gerais, through the State Secretariat of Culture and Tourism (Secult-MG) and the Clóvis Salgado Foundation (FCS), the managing entity of the Circuito Liberdade. In Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square), the public can admire the lighting that reflects the culture and natural landscapes of the Minas Gerais regions. The lights are switched on every night, starting at 6:30 PM.

In the Liberty Palace, located in the square, Santa's House has been set up, with environments that evoke home, affection, and memory. In the bandstand, daily performances by artists and choirs from Minas Gerais celebrate the state's cultural diversity. Admission is free, from 6 pm to 10 pm Monday to Friday; from 4 pm to 10 pm on Saturday; and from 4 pm to 8 pm on Sunday.

Christmas Readings — The Minas Gerais State Public Library presents seven attractions that explore Christmas stories. Exhibitions will captivate the public with the teachings and traditions surrounding the holiday: “Readings for Christmas” and “Christmas with Stories: Reading that Warms the Heart,” open from December 9th; “Sacred Books,” opening on December 10th; and “Minas Gerais Sacred Heritage,” open to the public from December 18th. Visitors can also listen to Christmas-related narratives, such as “Stories at the Foot of the Tree,” from December 9th to January 8th, from 8 am to 5 pm, and on December 10th, at 2:30 pm, “The Stories Santa Claus Told Me – with Alessandra Visentin.” The program also includes a performance of the “Christmas Play,” on December 9th, at 7:30 pm.

The Good Old Nativity Scene — The public can participate in person or remotely in the construction of the 11th Collaborative Nativity Scene at Casa Fiat de Cultura. Made with recyclable materials and objects collected from nature, the nativity scene invites reflection on the harmony between humanity and nature. Inspired by the riverside communities of the Amazon, who live in balance with nature, the nativity scene recreates Christmas Eve among cardboard forests, under an Amazonian sunset. Curated by Leo Piló, the construction of the 11th Collaborative Nativity Scene at Casa Fiat de Cultura runs until January 6th. The museum also maintains the “Open Christmas Workshop | Handmade Enchantments”. On December 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st, at 10:30 am and 3 pm, the public can participate in person in making ornaments for their own Christmas tree. Spaces are limited and tickets will be distributed at the Casa Fiat de Cultura reception on a first-come, first-served basis. Both attractions are free.

At the Centro de Arte Popular, starting at 7 pm on December 9th, the public can also enjoy the collective exhibition “Nativity Scenes: Gesture, Art and Life,” which brings together works revolving around the symbolic, aesthetic, and affective power of nativity scenes. The exhibition articulates different languages, materials, and interpretations, in texts that address some historical and anthropological aspects of the researched references, from domestic nativity scenes and popular creations to contemporary reinterpretations. The participating artists are Ângela Costa, Angélica Santana, Elisa Pena, Letícia Pinto, Lorena Mascarenhas, Maria Inez Ribeiro, Michel Salazar, Regina Moraes, Robson Emerick, and Zanne Neiva.

Spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis at the reception of Casa Fiat de Cultura. Music — On December 11th, at 7 PM, the Cine Theatro Brasil hosts the show “Christmas in Jazz, with Josimar Bianchi”. In a voice and guitar format, the artist plays jazz, Christmas bossa nova, and modern reinterpretations of popular songs. Emanuela Bianchi, on keyboards, participates in some tracks. Tickets available through Eventim.

Then, on December 12th, at 9 PM, the Centro Idea hosts the show “Christmas Spectacle: Magic in Music, with Evan Megaro and Izza”, bringing to the public a mix of classical and popular music in two parts. The first is a mini solo piano recital, interpreting arrangements of the most well-known passages from “The Nutcracker”, one of the three ballets composed by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In the second part of the show, a repertoire full of American Christmas classics, immortalized by great artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, as well as songs by Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Tribalistas. Tickets available through Sympla. Also on the 12th, the Minas Tênis Clube Choir presents "Auto de Natal", in which, accompanied by the Opus Orchestra and actor Luciano Luppi, they perform various popular and classical Christmas songs. Tickets at a symbolic price, available through Sympla.

At the Palácio das Artes, the public can attend the “Christmas Concert: From Baroque to Jazz,” which brings together the Minas Gerais Lyric Choir, the Minas Gerais Symphony Orchestra, and the Palácio das Artes Children's and Youth Choir in an evening of musical celebration spanning centuries and styles—from the Baroque of Johann Sebastian Bach to the lightness and swing of contemporary jazz. On December 18th and 19th, at 8 PM, with tickets available at affordable prices, on sale through Eventim.

Christmas Beyond Us — In the traditional “Saturday with Libras” project, the Espaço do Conhecimento has prepared the theme “End-of-Year Stories” for an accessible storytelling session in Brazilian Sign Language, which will present the customs of different cultures and peoples during the festivities of this time of year. The activity takes place on December 13th, at 2 PM. The museum also offers the “Christmas Card Workshop,” which functions as a “secret Santa” to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new cycle. Throughout the opening hours, there will be a space with paper, pens, stickers, colored pencils, etc., so that visitors can exchange cards and create free and Christmas-themed messages. The activity takes place on December 16, 17, 18, and 19 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), from 10 am to 5 pm. Both programs are free.

Santa's Children — The Toy Museum, which always offers programming for children, has prepared "ONCE UPON A TIME... A PLAYFUL CHRISTMAS," with creative workshops, a puppet show with Grandma Luiza, backyard games, a corner for writing letters to Santa, and a visit to the toy collection from different eras. The activities take place on Saturdays, December 6th and 13th, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm, with tickets at a popular price, sold at the entrance.

Cantatas — The voices that imprint the musical mark of Christmas are renewed in 2025. The Minas Gerais Lyric Choir presents its Christmas Cantata on the steps in front of the Iepha Green Building, with works by Mozart, Handel, and Christmas carols that transcend generations, on Thursday, December 4th, at 8 pm. The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) will hold its Christmas Cantata with the Youth Orchestra and the Children's and Youth Choir, in a program that explores different Christmas traditions around the world – from Italy to Japan, from Africa to Latin America. The performance will take place on December 12th, at 8 pm, at the Grande Teatro Cemig Palácio das Artes, with free admission. The Unimed-BH Minas Cultural Center, with the Minas Tênis Clube Choir, will hold the 17th Cantata of the Legislative Assembly, performed at Praça da Assembleia, on December 3rd, at 7 pm. The MM Gerdau – Museum of Mines and Metals, will host six cantatas in December, always at 7 pm and all free of charge. The Ars Nova UFMG Choir will perform on the 11th; the Casa de Música de Ouro Branco, on the 12th; the Canarinhos de Itabirito Choir, on the 13th; and the Orquestra Jovem BH, on the 17th. and Coral Light Music, on December 18th.