As part of the celebrations for Brazil’s Independence, the most eagerly awaited event is the civic-military parade on September 7 at 9 a.m. on the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasília (DF). Around 2,400 military personnel from the Brazilian Navy (MB), the Brazilian Army (EB) and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) will parade. A crowd of 30,000 people is expected.
The Minister of Defense, José Mucio Monteiro Filho, who will be joining Brazilians to celebrate the date, reaffirms the ministry’s commitment to the nation. “The date revives the collective memory of our nation’s most important victory, the conquest of sovereignty. Together, we will continue to work for an increasingly strong, fraternal and united country,” he said.
The slogan adopted for this year’s campaign is “Democracy, sovereignty and unity”. In addition to the traditional groups from the Armed Forces, the parade has four other thematic groups: “Peace and Sovereignty”, “Science and Technology”, “Health and Vaccination” and “Defense of the Amazon”.
Land parade
In the parade of troops, the Naval Force will present the Martial Band, performing military ditties and popular songs, as well as midshipmen from the Naval School, sailors, marines and special operations soldiers. The Navy will use a total of three motorcycles and 14 vehicles, including Caterpillar Amphibious Trucks (CLANF) and Astros launchers.
The Ground Force will showcase the music band of the Presidential Guard Battalion, students from the Brasília Military College, cadets from the Agulhas Negras Military Academy, horse-mounted soldiers from the Guards Cavalry Regiment (better known as the “Dragons of Independence”) and special operations soldiers, among others. In addition to approximately 88 vehicles, such as the Guarani armored vehicle and the Leopard 1A5 tracked combat vehicles.
The Air Force will bring the FAB Symphony Orchestra, cadets from the Air Force Academy, pilots and flight crews, aerial observers, health personnel and an all-female group. They also paraded with 2 motorcycles and 2 jeeps and ended their participation with a tribute to Santos Dumont, the “Father of Aviation”.
Within the thematic axes, military personnel from the three forces parade, including members of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, former peacekeepers, health professionals, engineers, as well as military personnel serving in the Amazon.
Air parade
MB is participating with a total of seven aircraft, including the AF-1 (Skyhawk) fighter and the UH-15/15A (Super Cougar), SH-16 (Seahawk) and AH-11B (Lynx) helicopters. The EB will have 12 aircraft, including the Esquilo/Fennec (HA-1A), Pantera K2 (HM-1A) and HM-4 Jaguar helicopters.
The FAB will parade with the KC-130 Hercules, A-1M, E-99 and R-99 aircraft, as well as the Force’s newest strategic projects, the KC-390 Millennium and the F-39 Gripen. At the end of the civic-military parade, the Air Demonstration Squadron – better known as the “Esquadrilha da Fumaça” – will demonstrate maneuvers and acrobatics to the public, in a formation made up of seven A-29 Super Tucano aircraft.
Naval parade
For the first time, the Navy will hold a naval parade on Lake Paranoá, with the participation of ten vessels. The parade, which will begin at 4pm, will pass the following points: Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Clube Naval de Brasília, Honestino Guimarães Bridge, Pontão do Lago Sul and Península dos Ministros.
How to get to the event
Anyone wishing to follow the civic-military parade in person needs to be aware of how to get to the Esplanade of Ministries. The main access will be through the “Buraco do Tatu”, on route S1. Traffic on route S2 will be cleared and public access will be via the staircases of blocks B, C and D. Access on route N2 will be via the staircases of blocks K, M and N. The stands will be open from 6am.
Security and support and emergency locations
For the safety of the participants, some rules have been established, which can be found on the Federal Government’s website. In addition to the complete and detailed schedule, there is information on prohibited items and traffic intervention areas. You can also check out general tips such as support and emergency points distributed throughout the event.