A trailer decorated with garlands and lights travels through the favelas of Rio, turning into a photography studio, where residents can pose with Santa Claus and take the printed photo home instantly, without paying anything. The roving structure is the center of Enchanted Christmas, a project that offers free Christmas experiences to different communities in the city.
This year’s edition began circulation on November 19 and has already visited Santo Amaro, Bairro Carioca, Morro do Orobo, Morro do Juramento, Enjinho da Rainha, Tuiute, Cajo, Barrera do Vasco, Mandela, Kelson, Manguera and Vidigal.
The convoy will arrive this Tuesday (2nd) in Morro da Providencia, in the center of Rio. The agenda continues until December 23.
Inside the trailer, the so-called Santa Claus House recreates the traditional scene of Christmas pictures in malls and shopping centres, with themed lighting and background.
Along with Sheikh Al-Tayeb, children, youth and adults prepare to record the meeting and leave with the photo printed immediately, without spending anything.
At each stop, the setting in the middle of the streets attracts the attention of residents, who interrupt their routine and enter the studio to check the Christmas recordings. Last year, 12,000 photos were distributed.
“Santa Claus is one of the characters that occupies the emotional memory of people, especially children. We want to feed this magic and immortalize it for free, something that is usually only found in shopping malls and rarely at a reasonable price,” says one of the project’s creators, Raul Santiago.
Organized by Brecha Hub in partnership with Instituto Pro Bono Brasil and sponsored by franchisee Águas do Rio, Natal Encantado expands its reach compared to last year, when it visited 25 communities.