Celebrating its 5th edition, the Winter da Cuesta festival brings together the best of regional cuisine at the Botucatu Cultural Space Winter da Cuesta/Disclosure The event that crosses the Cuesta de Botucatu in early July usually requires heavy coats and hurried steps from those crossing the city. But five years ago, a different kind of heat began to spread across the region. Between the 9th and 12th of July, this phenomenon gains another chapter. The Cuesta Winter festival reaches its fifth edition. The Botucatu Cultural Space will once again host this great gastronomic fair. Among the exhibitors already confirmed are Vinícola DeJota, Vinícola Refúgio, Café Pelosini, Empório Cortes, Pardinho Artesanal and other brands that represent the strength of regional production. For those who have been following since the beginning, the event's growth graph works as a thermometer of the city's own economic development. The number of commercial and gastronomic partners has only grown year after year, signaling that the festival is no longer a "season's bet" but has become a safe haven for local commerce and tourism. This maturity is supported by public success: after receiving more than 25 thousand visitors in the last edition, the expectation for 2026 is to surpass the mark of 30 thousand people over the four days of programming. Traditional Cuesta brands, such as Vinícola DeJota and Pardinho Artesanal, are present at the Cuesta Winter gastronomic fair/Disclosure From utopia to the official calendar Looking at the current structure, it is difficult to imagine that the festival was born from the restlessness of two friends who only insisted on believing in the potential of the land itself. Andrey Sabino and Henrique Cordeiro designed the first edition with an almost simple premise: packaging one of Botucatu's greatest qualities — its cuisine — and using it as bait to boost tourism, retain the internal economy and introduce Cuesta to the rest of the country. "We knew that Botucatu had a refined palate and a very rich local production, but there was a lack of a stage that would unite all of this under the brand of our winter. Seeing the event grow like this shows us that gastronomy is, above all, a tool of identity and pride for our people.", remembers Andrey Sabino. The partners of Winter da Cuesta, Henrique and Andrey Winter da Cuesta/Disclosure Time passed quickly and reality trampled on the duo's most optimistic expectations. The event became popular with so much force that it went beyond municipal borders. Today, Cuesta Winter is officially part of the São Paulo State Government's cultural agenda, attracting visitors from dozens of neighboring municipalities and the capital. More than that: the maturity of the festival ran in parallel with a historic achievement for the city, which recently received the official title of Tourist Resort. "When we designed the first project, the title of Tourist Resort was a beautiful dream on the horizon of Botucatu. Today, seeing the festival consolidated within the State's calendar gives us the certainty that we helped pave this path, showing that our Cuesta is promising not only for the São Paulo ecosystem, but for Brazil", confesses Henrique Cordeiro. This impact on the city's development is endorsed by the municipal public management. "Gastronomic tourism is today one of the fastest growing segments of tourist activity. The Winter at Cuesta event has been fundamental in highlighting and promoting all the products and services that stand out in the region. Witnessing the growth and strengthening of the event is very rewarding and we wish it a long life in the Cuesta calendar.", highlights Roberta Sogayar, Secretary of Tourism of Botucatu. One of the highlights of this edition's program will be the Cozinha Show, a space where chefs, cooks and experts will present live recipes, gastronomic techniques and interactive experiences to the public, bringing visitors behind the scenes of regional cuisine. In addition to 37 commercial stands, the event features daily musical performances and workshops in the Cuesta Winter Show/Disclosure The consolidation menu: culture, business and safety With free entry, the fifth edition of the festival was designed to be an immersive experience that goes far beyond the act of eating. The program will also feature musical performances by local and regional artists, thematic talks with chefs and experts, creating an environment where knowledge and leisure go hand in hand. and July 12th will feature more than a gastronomic festival, the Cuesta Winter has consolidated itself as a platform for economic development, cultural appreciation and tourism promotion for Botucatu and the region, strengthening local producers, restaurants, artists and entrepreneurs. The space brings together 37 gastronomic and commercial operations, boosting the creative economy, tourism and the service sector across the region. Botucatu Entrance: Free Attractions: 25 restaurants, 12 regional exhibitors, live shows, gastronomic lectures and cultural space.