What to bring to Mareh
in Fortim

The official Mareh website does not publish a packing list. To build ours, we looked up the weather for the same festival dates over the last ten years, the UV index from the previous edition and sunset times on boat days. The result is a short bag: few clothes, plenty of sun protection and cash withdrawn before you reach Fortim.

The list in one minute

For the eight days of the festival, from December 26, 2026 to January 2, 2027, this is the base:

• Sun: SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, a hat that will not blow away, sunglasses and a light shirt
• Beach and boat: swimwear, flip-flops and a waterproof phone case
• Night: light clothes and closed shoes or low sandals; no jacket needed
• Papers: photo ID (a passport if you are visiting from abroad) and your ticket saved on your phone
• Money: some cash, withdrawn in Fortaleza or Aracati
• Health: regular medication, plus insect repellent if you are visiting the mangroves

Steady heat and little rain

We used the Open-Meteo archive for December 26 to January 2 of each New Year from 2016/17 to 2025/26, at the point closest to Barra do Fortim. That is 80 days of data. The high averaged 30 °C and the low 25 °C. No day went above 32 °C or below 23 °C, and the maximum apparent temperature averaged 34 °C.

At 10 pm, when the music starts on party days, the average was 27 °C, and at midnight 26.5 °C. So a jacket is dead weight. Fabric matters more: light, quick-drying and enough to change into after the boat.

Rain is possible but usually light. On 28 of the 80 days there was 1 mm or more, and on only 6 days 5 mm or more. The week's total varied a lot: 0.5 mm at the turn of 2020/21 and 42.9 mm at 2021/22. A thin raincoat or a plastic bag to protect your phone will do.

Afternoon wind averaged close to 11 knots, about 20 km/h, with gusts of 20 to 24 knots, or 37 to 44 km/h, in the model. That is the reason for a hat with a cord and for not leaving a sarong loose on the table. The article on wind in Fortim month by month shows how December compares with the rest of the year.

Sun protection is the most important item

At the previous edition, from December 26, 2025 to January 2, 2026, Open-Meteo's air quality model gave Fortim an average UV index of 9.7 at 10 am, 11.6 between 11 am and noon, 9.7 at 1 pm, 6.5 at 2 pm and 3.4 at 3 pm. The World Health Organization puts 8 or higher in its top band: avoid being outside at midday and seek shade, with a shirt, sunscreen and hat as must-haves.

The Brazilian Society of Dermatology recommends SPF 30 or higher and, according to its guidance reported in the press, reapplying every two hours at the beach. In the Northeast, protection should start earlier, because radiation is already intense from 9 am. Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before going out, unless the packaging says it works immediately.

This changes how you plan the festival. The 10 am yoga and the boat boarding, from noon to 1 pm, fall during the highest UV hours. Apply sunscreen before leaving your room and take the bottle with you.

What to bring to the bar, the boat and the party

Bar da Praia, in Pontal de Maceió. Open from 10 am to midnight; on December 28 and 31 it closes at 6 pm, and on January 1 it opens at 6 pm. Bring swimwear, a sarong, a hat and sunscreen. If you are going to yoga, ask the organizers beforehand whether to bring a mat, since the website does not say. This is also where you pick up your wristband, from 2 pm to 9 pm; on December 28 and 31, from 1 pm to 6 pm.

Boats, on December 27 and 30 and January 2. Boarding is at Canto da Barra from noon to 1 pm, with departure at 1 pm. The Portuguese version of the official website gives the return as 5:30 pm and the English version as 6 pm. On those days the sun sets between 5:43 pm and 5:46 pm in Fortim, so you come back around sunset. The website does not say whether there is cover on board and gives no rules on bags. Bring the minimum, with a light shirt and protection for your phone, and see the list in the article on how the boats work. To find out what the water will look like, check the tide table the day before.

Parties, on December 28 and 31. The website states open bar and music from 10 pm on this schedule, but still says more details are coming and gives no venue. Until then, choose footwear that can handle sand and uneven ground. Bring a charged phone and arrange your way back before you leave: the guide to Fortim without a car explains the options.

ID, money and pharmacy

The official website does not say whether wristband pick-up requires ID, and it gives no minimum age. Even so, bring a photo ID. Boats and parties have an open bar, and supplying alcohol to a child or adolescent is a crime in Brazil, even for free, under article 243 of the Child and Adolescent Statute. If you are going with someone under 18, ask the organizers before buying. Keep your ticket saved on your phone so you do not depend on signal.

On money, the official website only says the wristband is used for purchases at the Bar da Praia. Outside the festival, Fortim has few ATMs, and buggies, beach stalls and boatmen often take cash only. Withdraw before you arrive, in Fortaleza or Aracati.

Bring any regular medication from home. Farmácia Farmanato is at Av. Joaquim Pergentino Maia, 250, in the town centre, outside the Barra and the Pontal. The supermarket and other addresses are on the Services page. Repellent is only really needed for outings such as the mangroves, where mosquitoes come out in the late afternoon.

This site is an independent guide with no link to the Mareh organizers. Buy tickets only through the official link and see the schedule in our Mareh Festival guide.

Frequently asked questions

Bag packed?

See the day-by-day schedule, the boats, the parties and the Bar da Praia hours in our festival guide.