Goiânia has a nightlife scene that surprises visitors expecting a provincial cattle-trade city. The Setor Marista neighbourhood is the main concentration of bars, clubs, and live music venues, with a density of options that runs from boteco beer bars with plastic chairs on the pavement to upmarket cocktail lounges. On weekends the area stays busy until well past midnight.
Music is central to the bar culture here. Goiânia is the acknowledged capital of sertanejo, Brazilian country music, and live sertanejo performances are easy to find any night of the week. The same venues often host forró and pagode nights depending on the day. If you want to understand what makes this city tick, an evening of live sertanejo at a Marista bar is more revealing than almost anything else on offer.