The evening at a glance
What it is
A Bahian dinner followed by a folklore show — live drums and a company performing capoeira, samba de roda and dances rooted in the orixás of Candomblé — in the historic Pelourinho.
Where
The Pelourinho, Salvador's UNESCO-listed old town, inside a restaurant set among the district's colonial squares and churches.
How long
Around four hours door to door, from hotel pickup to drop-off, with dinner served before the show.
Group size
A small-group evening rather than a coach tour — GetYourGuide's own listing caps it at a handful of travellers per night.
This is a small-group evening in a fixed room, not a theatre with rows of tables — GetYourGuide's own listing caps each night at a handful of travellers, and once that night's seats are gone the next available date is usually the next one the company runs.
Why book this evening
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours before pickup for a full refund, per the listing
Reserve now, pay later
Hold your place in the small group and pay later, on many options
Secure checkout
Protected GetYourGuide payment, with pickup details confirmed in writing
Book in your language
Confirmation and support in your language, priced in your currency
The first capital of Brazil
From 1549 to 1763, Salvador was the capital of Brazil, and the Pelourinho — its hilltop administrative and merchant quarter — is where that history is still standing: pastel-painted colonial houses, Portuguese Baroque churches and a 16th-century street plan that UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site in 1985.
An African capital too
The same streets were also one of the Americas' major slave markets, and the culture that grew out of that history — Candomblé, capoeira, samba de roda, Bahian cooking built on dendê palm oil — is what the Pelourinho is known for today. The evening's dinner and show sit inside that living tradition, not a museum version of it.
A dinner built around a show, not the other way round
The format is straightforward: a restaurant table set with Bahian dishes, then a folklore company takes the floor with live drums and a run of dances that move from capoeira's game-like sparring to the more ceremonial rhythms connected to Candomblé's orixás.
The rhythms
Each part of the show is carried by a different instrument. Follow the drums and you can follow the evening.
Berimbau
Capoeira
A single-string bow with a gourd resonator sets the pace for capoeira's game of sparring kicks and cartwheels, played in a circle (roda) of clapping, singing performers.
Atabaque
Dances of the orixás
The tall hand-drums used in Candomblé carry the show's more ceremonial numbers, staged versions of the dances that honour the orixás — the tradition's deities — without reproducing an actual religious rite.
Pandeiro
Samba de roda
A frame drum drives samba de roda, a circle dance and song form that grew up in 19th-century Bahia alongside capoeira and the cult of the orixás and caboclos, and is usually credited as an ancestor of Rio's carnival samba.
The maculelê sticks
Maculelê
Where a folklore programme includes it, dancers strike pairs of wooden sticks together in time with the drums — a routine that in Bahia's tradition began as a mock harvest-and-battle dance and is now one of the company's most physical numbers.
GetYourGuide's own package includes hotel pickup, so most guests don't need to think about getting home after dark — check your confirmation for your exact pickup window and location.
The Bahian table
GetYourGuide's own listing describes the meal as typical Bahian cooking in a traditional restaurant — the cuisine that put Salvador on the map for Brazilian food.
The style of food
Bahian cooking leans on dendê palm oil, coconut milk, chilli and seafood — moqueca, the slow-simmered fish or seafood stew, is the dish most visitors know it by, and it's the kind of plate this evening's menu is built from.
Acarajé, if it's on the table
Salvador's other signature dish is acarajé — black-eyed pea fritters deep-fried in dendê oil and split open with a filling — traditionally sold on the street by baianas in white lace; whether it appears on this particular set menu is worth confirming with GetYourGuide ahead of your date.
Drinks
GetYourGuide's listing doesn't itemise the drinks package on this evening — check what's included (soft drinks, a caipirinha, wine) against your specific booking rather than assuming.
Dietary notes
A set restaurant menu in a small-group format has less flexibility than an à la carte one — flag any allergy or dietary requirement with GetYourGuide's support before your date rather than at the table.
The Pelourinho, pickup and timing
Where the evening happens
The Pelourinho sits on Salvador's upper town (Cidade Alta), a UNESCO World Heritage old town of steep cobbled lanes, colonial churches and pastel façades — the same streets that were the city's 16th- to 18th-century administrative and merchant quarter.
Hotel pickup
GetYourGuide's package includes a driver collecting guests from their Salvador hotel and returning them at the end of the night — confirm your exact pickup time and point on your booking confirmation, since it will depend on where you're staying.
How long to set aside
Plan on roughly four hours from pickup to drop-off, covering the drive in, the dinner and the full show — not a quick after-dinner stop.
The Pelourinho after dark
Like most historic centres, the Pelourinho is busiest and most comfortable for visitors on its main tourist streets and squares in the evening; a hotel-pickup package like this one avoids the question of navigating unfamiliar streets alone late at night.
Salvador by Night vs. the rest
| Evening | Format | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Salvador by Night | Small-group dinner and folklore show | A restaurant in the Pelourinho, Salvador |
| A Rio de Janeiro dinner show | Larger cabaret-style samba show and dinner | A purpose-built theatre, Rio de Janeiro |
| A capoeira class | Participatory lesson, no dinner | A capoeira academy, various cities |
| A self-guided Pelourinho evening | No fixed dinner or show, free to roam | The Pelourinho's streets and bars |
Questions before you book
What is Salvador by Night, exactly?
A small-group evening in the Pelourinho: a Bahian dinner at a traditional restaurant followed by a folklore show — live drumming and a company performing capoeira, samba de roda and dances rooted in Candomblé's orixás.
Is this the Balé Folclórico da Bahia?
GetYourGuide's listing doesn't name the performing company, so we describe it as a Bahian folklore company rather than assume it's any specific, internationally touring troupe. Whichever company is on the floor, the repertoire draws on the same regional traditions — capoeira, samba de roda and orixá-rooted dance.
What's on the menu?
GetYourGuide describes it as typical Bahian cuisine at a traditional restaurant. Bahian cooking centres on dendê palm oil, coconut milk and seafood — moqueca is the dish most visitors know — though the exact set menu isn't itemised on the listing, so confirm specifics and any dietary need with GetYourGuide ahead of your date.
How long does the evening run?
Around four hours in total, from hotel pickup to drop-off, including the drive in, dinner and the full show.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes — the package includes collection from your Salvador hotel and return drop-off afterwards. Check your booking confirmation for the exact pickup time and point.
How big is the group?
Small — GetYourGuide's own listing describes it as an intimate evening capped at a handful of travellers, not a large coach-tour group.
Is it suitable for children?
The show is family-friendly in content (folk dance and live drumming), though the late finish and a four-hour evening are worth weighing for very young children.
What should I wear?
Smart casual works for the restaurant; the Pelourinho's streets are cobbled and can be uneven, so comfortable shoes are worth it even for an evening that's mostly seated.
Can I book with free cancellation?
Yes. The GetYourGuide listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund, and many options let you reserve now and pay later — so you can hold your evening while you finish planning.
Guides to Salvador by Night
The full evening
Salvador by Night, step by step
What actually happens between hotel pickup and drop-off, roughly in the order it happens.
Read the guide →The programme
Capoeira, samba de roda and the dances of the orixás explained
What each rhythm actually is, where it comes from, and what to watch for on the night.
Read the guide →Dinner
The Bahian table: what's actually on the menu
What Bahian cooking is built from, what's likely on the plate, and what to do if you eat differently.
Read the guide →The setting
The Pelourinho at night: history, safety, what to wear
What the old town actually is, and what to know about visiting it after dark.
Read the guide →Getting there
Pickup, timing and what to expect from the booking
How the transport works, what the booking actually includes, and how to plan your evening around it.
Read the guide →Beyond the show
Salvador evenings beyond Salvador by Night
Where to go if a folklore dinner isn't the only night out on your Salvador trip.
Read the guide →More Salvador evenings worth booking
Other ways to spend a night in Salvador, booked the same way.
See all Salvador experiences