This article investigates on how the inside social actors perceive the boi-bumbá celebrations in the town of Parintins, Brazil, considering the value that such phenomenon represents to the local community in its cultural, economic and social aspects, as well as the opportunity for the participants to reflect on, speak about and produce knowledge on their own reality. The investigation identified how such actors perceive the influence of this social phenomenon in the systemic and cultural dimensions of the town's sustainable local development (SLD). The hypotheses that guided the study were: elements of the Brazilian culture are present in the local culture represented by the boi-bumbá context; the native Amazonian culture gives signification to the elements that allow the construction of the bois-bumbás; the boi-bumbá is becoming a merchandise submitted to the capital's demands. The analytical framework was based mostly in the concepts of SLD, capitalist production system and culture. The investigation adopted a quantitative method. The conclusions confirm the hypotheses.
sustainable local development; culture; boi-bumbá
