Kaleidoscopic carnival

Brazilian carnivals usually burst with color, but this year Sacramento’s event will turn up the spectrum. For its seventh annual event, the Brazilian Carnaval ($15 in advance, $20 at the door) has invited Caribbean and Colombian dancers and musicians to shimmy to their own beats, in addition to Brazilian samba. Mostly local, the costumed performers set the stage for grub that’s geographically dispersed in its own right: Caribbean, Mexican and Brazilian food trucks and vendors. “We wanted to have diversity,” says Saara Burga, director of the Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange. Burga herself will prepare traditional Brazilian meals (roughly $10), including feijoadas with sausages; coxinhas, a type of croquette with chicken or tofu; and empanadas with cheese, chicken or beef. And what’s a raucous party without booze? Brazilian caipirinhas ($8) in mango, lime and kiwi will put you in the carnival spirit of jolly abandon. Reserve tickets at https://2017carnavalsacramento
.eventbrite.com.