Anybody visiting Salvador winds up spending at least some time in Pelourinho. Pelourinho is the Old City, the old heart of Salvador, with colonial-era buildings and winding cobblestone streets. Lots of good stuff—music and capoeira—is there. The place is full of bars and restaurants and small shops.
Tuesday night is Pelourinho’s biggest party night. It’s called “Bencao” (or blessing), from an origin in the Igreja do Santo Antonio’s custom of giving away bread to the poor on Tuesday evenings. Bahia has a way of turning religious events into parties, and that’s exactly what happens here; lots of people, lots of music, and lots of dancing. “Bencao” is even bigger during the summer months (December, January, February), and the biggest parties during any given month are the first and last of that month.
For information, Bahiatursa has an information center (with maps and other resources, and attendants speaking a number of languages) at Rua das Laranjeiras, No.12. Any policeman or shopkeeper can tell you where it is, or point you in the right direction.